LOS ANGELES (KABC) — With COVID-19 vaccines soon arriving at local pharmacies, federal health officials from a variety of agencies are united in their message: Now is the time to make a plan for when you'll get all the vaccines you need to stay safe this fall and winter.
“The improved vaccine is a great match for the KP.3 family of viruses, which continues to become increasingly dominant,” said CDC Director Mandy Cohen.
She is urging Americans to get both COVID and flu shots.
“When you directly compare influenza to COVID-19, when you compare hospitalizations and deaths, COVID-19 continues to be the more dangerous virus,” she said.
By dangerous I mean more contagious and more deadly.
“According to CDC statistics, I think about 20,000 people died in the United States last year from the flu,” said Dr. Otto Yang, vice chair of infectious diseases at the Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). “About 75,000 people died from COVID-19.”
Major pharmacy retailers say shipments of a new, improved COVID-19 vaccine could arrive as early as this week, with pre-orders opening the first week of September. Most Americans have not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past year or two.
“It's not the vaccine that prevents disease, it's the immunization, so it's important to get the vaccine,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
The new version is approved for everyone over 6 months of age. In addition to COVID-19 and influenza, health officials are recommending RSV vaccination for pregnant women, high-risk individuals ages 60-74, and everyone over 75.
“These recommendations are for people who haven't received the RSV vaccine last year,” Cohen said. “Take advantage of the tools we have: vaccines, testing and treatment.”
Long COVID-19 remains a key focus for health authorities, providing another important reason to get the new vaccine.
“Whether you've had one dose of the vaccine, two doses or three doses, your risk of long-term COVID-19 is lower,” Marks said.
The FDA says people can get the updated vaccine at least two months after their last dose.
If you have recently tested positive for COVID, the CDC says to wait three months after you had COVID before getting an update.
And for the third year in a row, the government will relaunch its covidtests.gov website at the end of September, offering up to four free tests to each household.
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