The COVID-19 booster shot was recently updated to target new variants, and the CDC highly recommends that all eligible Americans get the shot.

Article by Isabel Cantor, Associate Medical Reporter

ATLANTA - A newly updated booster shot for COVID has been approved for Americans ages 6 months and older in response to rising cases across the country. 

Despite the fact that COVID mandates have lessened since last year, the virus is still a concern, especially with the many variants that are spreading. 

The updated shot was designed to target the XBB.1.5 subvariant of COVID, which was much more prevalent over the summer than it is now. However, even though the vaccine is monovalent, which means that it was designed to protect against one specific variant, the new variants today are very similar to the variant that this new booster shot was formulated for. Therefore, there should not be much of a difference in terms of the effectiveness. 

Moderna, Pfizer, and BioNTech boosters are now available, and they should become more easily accessible in the coming weeks. Doctors offices and pharmacies are the main locations where the shot will be administered, and it is estimated that it will be mostly free for those who have either private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. 

Dr. Mandy Cohen, the new director of the CDC, was interviewed by ABC News on Tuesday night regarding the new recommendation for Americans. She discussed the booster shot, as well as its effectiveness, and she strongly encouraged everyone eligible to get the shot. 

Director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Dan Barouch, said that “It is likely that the XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccines will raise antibodies against all the circulating variants.” 

In addition, to ease the concerns of many Americans who are hesitant to get the new booster, Cohen reassured viewers that the newest vaccine has been studied “more than any vaccine in history.” She said that over 600 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered, so “it's been studied in terms of its safety extensively.”

With the transition into fall and winter, a time when COVID cases are typically at its height, it is crucial that everyone does their part to protect themselves, as well as others from the virus.