Houston, Texas (KTRK) – Just in time for fall, a new version of the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to the public, pending Food and Drug Administration approval.
Since the original vaccine, this shot represents the first repackaged COVID vaccine formulation available in the United States.
RELATED: US clears updated COVID boosters targeting latest Omicron strain; Shots can start in a matter of days
New booster targets key omicron variant BA.5
ABC13 has asked some of Houston’s top doctors about the new booster, as the city’s positivity rate remains at around 20%.
Who can get the new booster?
This vaccine is approved for many people, says Dr. Louis Ostrosky, chief of infectious diseases at UTHealth and Memorial Hermann.
“The FDA has allowed the use of boosters for 18 years and more for our suppliers and 12 years and older for Pfizer,” Ostrosky said. “They recommend that it be given at least two months after the last initial series of vaccination or the last booster dose.”
See also: Pfizer asks FDA to license updated COVID vaccine that adds protection against Omicron variants
Dr. Ostrosky also says mixing and matching approved COVID vaccines is a good thing.
Can you get a COVID booster and flu shot at the same time?
While doctors recommend getting the injections in two separate arms, they say you can get them at the same appointment.
“So you don’t actually have to wait. You don’t need to separate the flu vaccine from a COVID-19 booster dose. You can get both on the same day if you like. So if you only have one chance to quit, you can get both,” said Dr. Wesley Long, medical director of microbiology. At Houston Methodist Hospital:
Will a COVID booster become an annual vaccine?
Both doctors said the same thing: “Yes.”
“We’ll probably do the annual boosts in the early fall, considering the variables that are circulating. So I think that’s a good plan rather than the boost every few months,” Dr. Ostrosky said.
New COVID footage is expected to be available shortly after Labor Day.
Related: COVID is not done with us’: Why is the BA.5 COVID-19 variant so contagious?
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