New COVID vaccines coming soon: here’s what you need to know

As of the summer of 2024, there is still a “very high” number of COVID cases. wastewater data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

But given part of the summer peak problem Since this may be due to people’s immunity waning from previous vaccines and infections (and the increasing number of new and more contagious versions of omicron coming onto the market), you may be wondering: When is that next vaccine coming?

It’s coming – possibly as early as the end of this week, according to a report from The Washington Post. The CDC has already recommended the updated COVID vaccines, along with an updated seasonal flu vaccine, earlier this summer in preparation for the fall and winter, when cooler temperatures will require more close-distanced gatherings and respiratory viruses are expected to spread more widely. Both COVID and flu vaccines have been revised to address more relevant variants of the virus that are currently making people sick, available to everyone six months and older, with rare exceptions.

Now that COVID has gone from pandemic to endemic (meaning COVID is still making people sick, but in more predictable ways that can be mitigated by available treatments), health officials at the CDC have streamlined guidelines around vaccines and isolation to make it easier for everyone to follow when they have symptoms of a respiratory virus. Here’s what you need to know.

When will the next COVID vaccines be available?

Over the past year or so, COVID vaccines have gone the way of annual flu vaccines, with the formulas updated each year to target whatever version of the virus is circulating. A new vaccine targeting a more relevant form of COVID will be available this fall, according to information from the US Food and Drug Administration.

If reports consultation With the FDA potentially approving new vaccines as early as this week, we can expect them to be available almost immediately, as the CDC has indicated. recommended as a preventive measure photos from Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax.

Even if you want to get vaccinated sooner and pharmacies are still offering the older doses of the COVID vaccine (some of which may not wait for the newer formulations), it’s probably better to wait the short period for the updated vaccine, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

“The new COVID vaccines could potentially be approved by the end of this week,” Adalja said in an email. “The earlier vaccine is not even shipping anymore and is poorly matched to circulating variants.”

One change this time around is that the cost of COVID vaccines will no longer be covered by the federal government, even though both COVID and flu vaccines should be covered by people’s insurance, including MedicareThe Bridge Access Program offered free COVID vaccines to people without health insurance, although it scheduled to end this month in August 2024.

Do I have to isolate if I test positive for COVID?

The CDC’s new general guidance focuses on what to do if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection or feel sick, rather than the results of a COVID test. But because treatment depends on which virus you have, it’s always best to get tested.

If you are at higher risk for a respiratory virus, including complications from COVID, the flu, or RSV, it is especially important to figure out which virus you have (by getting tested and seeking medical attention) so you can get the right treatment, because treatment will vary depending on the virus you are sick with.

If you are an adult aged 50 or over, or if you have a chronic condition such as heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes or something else, You may be eligible for an antiviral medication (including Paxlovid) that reduces the severity of the illness and lowers your risk of hospitalization. You can get it by calling your regular doctor or pharmacist or by finding a Test to Treat centerwhere people with Medicare, Medicaid, people who are uninsured, and people with VA insurance or who receive Indian Health Services can get free COVID-19 testing and treatment. It is important that you get the antiviral within the first few days of symptoms to make the medicine work.

For anyone who has COVID, or suspects they may have it, the CDC recommends following general guidelines for preventing the spread of respiratory viruses if you are sick. This includes stay home and stay away from others when you feel sick, regardless of whether you get tested.

You can “return to your normal activities,” the CDC says, as long as it has been 24 hours since your symptoms generally improved and as long as it has been 24 hours since you had a fever (and you haven’t taken fever-reducing medications, such as ibuprofen, to bring it down). Then, take extra precautions for five days after You are improving, which may mean wearing a mask or not being near people who are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID or other respiratory infections.

This is a departure from pandemic-era guidelines that were more specific about when and how long you should isolate after exposure to COVID-19 or a positive test result, rather than symptoms. Why is that?

“This is an endemic virus for which there is a lot of population immunity and medical countermeasures,” Adalja said. “Guidelines need to reflect that context and be in a way that people can apply relatively easily.”