A 2nd Coronavirus Booster Shot was approved by the FDA on Tuesday for people sixty-five and those with a compromised immune systems.
The bivalent vaccine was updated last fall, but after months of testing the FDA has now approved that same vaccine for use as a booster, an option intended to offer added protection for the most vulnerable even as the pandemic fades.
“We have hundreds of thousands of doses already with providers” Heather Drummond tells Northwest Newsradio, she’s the Covid-19 Vaccine Director at the State Department of Health “We feel very confident that we will be able to quickly support populations across Washington.”
Last fall, patients and doctors learned the m-R-N-A vaccine quickly lost it potency, often in just a few months.
“Those who are 65 and over potentially receive a second dose at least 4 months after their initial bivalent dose” and Drummond says the immunocompromised would be eligible after just two months.
A third dose is possible and maybe more she says ”We recommend each individual work with their healthcare provider.”
The bivalent shots are made by Moderna and Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
Extra doses for immunocompromised children, 6 months to 4 years, will depend on which vaccine they’ve already received.
Final details will be released by the CDC on Wednesday.
