BY MELISSA PATRICK
KY HEALTH NEWS
As the number of COVID-19 infections grows in Kentucky, two updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that are designed to better protect against the most recent strains of the virus.
“We are very excited to see the latest COVID boosters approved,” Kelly Taulbee, director of communications and development at Kentucky Voices for Health, said in an email. “Just like this year’s flu boosters, it is recommended that everyone aged 6 months and older get an updated shot in anticipation of peak respiratory season in Kentucky.”
Taulbee said the boosters will be available for providers to order within the next few days. UK HealthCare expects to offer them in early September.
“Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a news release. “Given waning immunity of the population from previous exposure to the virus and from prior vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine to provide better protection against currently circulating variants.”
Marks told NPR: “The new vaccines should cut the risk of getting COVID by 60% to 70% and reduce the risk of getting seriously ill by 80% to 90%.”
As of February, KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, reports that 56.4% of Kentucky’s population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The updated Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) and Moderna (Spikevax) vaccines target the KP.2 variant. And while this strain of the virus has already been overtaken by a newer omicron variant, the expectation is that because there is very little difference between the new variants, the vaccine will offer protections against all circulating strains.
“The CDC states that the newer vaccine does produce antibodies capable of recognizing JN.1 and its descendants (KP.2, KP.3, and LB.1), whereas these newer variants are resistant to antibodies produced by previous COVID-19 vaccines,” Dr. Takaaki Kobayashi, senior medical director for UK HealthCare Infection Prevention and Control, said in an email.
“Over the past few weeks, an increase in the total number of patients with COVID-19 was noted across our medical facilities,” Kobayashi said. “Although the number of inpatients admitted with positive COVID-19 tests is not yet alarmingly high, it has tripled since mid-July,” going from 13 inpatients on July 16 to 40 inpatients on Aug. 23.
The FDA anticipates that, like the flu shot, COVID-19 vaccines will need to be assessed annually. The CDC also recommends getting an updated flu shot.
“In 2023, more than 916,300 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and more than 75,500 people died from COVID-19,” the CDC said in a news release. “During the 2023-2024 flu season, more than 44,900 people are estimated to have died from flu complications.”
In addition, the CDC recently published updated recommendations for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. It is now recommended for all people ages 75 and older and for people ages 60 to 74 who are at increased risk for severe disease due to RSV. Last year, all people ages 60 and older were eligible.
“With the approaching fall/winter respiratory season and beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, [UK Infection Protection and Control] anticipates an increase in respiratory virus infections,” Kobayashi said. “With that in mind, we encourage people to take steps to prevent the spread of infection: proper hand-washing, remaining home if you feel sick, masking if you are sick or if you are around others who are sick, and getting vaccinated.”