Kentuckians could have access to updated COVID-19 vaccine booster shots that target the omicron variant and its subvariants as soon as next week, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday.
The Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to the new booster shots, which target the BA.4 and BA.5 variants that are dominant in Louisville and the country, under emergency use authorization.
The boosters can be administered at least two months after the last shot, the FDA said in a statement. Moderna’s booster is approved for people 18 and older, while Pfizer’s is approved for those 12 and older.
“Based on the data supporting each of these authorizations, the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are expected to provide increased protection against the currently circulating omicron variant,” the FDA said.
More:FDA authorizes reformulated COVID-19 booster shot for the fall
The federal agency said people who get the newly approved booster vaccines may experience side effects commonly reported by folks who got one of the original, FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines.
Wastewater data for Louisville shows BA.5 continues to dominate widely. Statewide, the infectious subvariant has driven the rate of positive cases to 20%. That figure does not include at-home tests, so the rate is probably higher.
COVID-19 “continues to spread across Kentucky,” Beshear said Wednesday. “We saw a small increase in the number of reported cases, including among many school-aged children.”
He added: “We continue to recommend that everyone six months of age or older stay up to date on their vaccinations and receive any booster doses.”
Reach health reporter Sarah Ladd at sladd@courier-journal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ladd_sarah.
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Published on The Perfect Enemy at https://bit.ly/3RnA2ED.
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