Take No COVID-19 Vaccine Until the Fall!

In my last blog post I suggested almost everyone should wait to get COVID vaccinated until the fall when a newly formulated vaccine was available. The FDA vaccine panel that met this month reinforced that opinion and took it one step further.

First, the new vaccine will not contain material representing either of the BA.4/BA.5 viruses in the current vaccine. That is because these viruses essentially no longer circulate in the US population. Therefore, receiving the current vaccine will provide almost no benefit at this time in preventing COVID infection.

A new COVID virus, XBB, is now the predominant COVID in the US. By the fall, almost all the infections in the US will be caused by different forms of this virus. Data from Government officials and vaccine manufacturers indicate using a vaccine based on an XBB variant will provide better protection than the current vaccines.

The new vaccine will also contain only one form of XBB, as compare to current vaccines that have material from two virus strains. The FDA believes that including more than one variant isn’t necessary because the XBB variants are similar. 

Three manufacturers, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax, will make XBB vaccines that can be available in September. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are based on mRNA (genetic material) while the Novavax vaccine is based on protein made in insect cells. All are equally effective, so the choice is up to the individual.

We have had a steady effort to gain “herd” immunity, and almost everyone in the country over the age of 50 (the group most at risk) has had at least one dose of COVID vaccine. Studies indicate that several vaccine doses provide more protection than a single shot. Importantly, work from our laboratory has also shown that a combination of infection and vaccination provides he best protection across the many types of COVID viruses. Since about 90% of people worldwide have had COVID-19 immunity has increased remarkably.

Finally, immunocompromised and older people are really the only ones at high risk for severe disease with COVID, and they stand to benefit the most from repeated boosting.