New COVID-19 vaccines hit pharmacies in time for start of school year

New COVID-19 vaccines are making their way to pharmacies and clinics, just in time to help protect children who are headed back to school, as well as their families.

“Locally, we’re seeing very high levels of covid. We’re actually seeing some of the highest test positivity in Covid since probably 2021,” said Dr. Seth Cohen with University of Washington (UW) Medicine.

Last week, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) greenlit the two updated vaccines—one from Moderna and one from Pfizer-BioNTech.

They now target the KP.2 variant – a member of the omicron family that rose to prominence over the summer.

“As a parent, it’s an exciting time of year, but we also know that as kids get back together, we will see an increase in respiratory viruses, not just among them, but we certainly bring things home to the household,” said Dr. Seth Cohen with University of Washington (UW) Medicine.

“That’s sort of a normal part of childhood, but a good way to help prevent that is to make sure that kids are up to date with their vaccines, and certainly that will keep them safe.”

On average, the new vaccines should cut the risk of having COVID-19 by 60% to 70% and reduce the risk of getting seriously ill by 80% to 90% during the three to four months after receiving the shot, Dr. Peter Marks from the FDA told NPR in an interview .

Below are the dosage recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the new vaccines:

People who are not immunocompromised

Initial vaccination

• Ages 6 months–4 years
• 2 doses of 2024–­2025 Moderna or 3 doses of 2024–­2025 Pfizer-BioNTech
• Ages 5 years and older
• 1 dose of 2024–2025 Moderna or 1 dose of 2024–2025 Pfizer-BioNTech

Received previous doses of a COVID-19 vaccine

• Ages 6 months–4 years
• 1 or 2 doses of 2024–­2025 mRNA vaccine from the same manufacturer as administered for initial vaccination, depending on the vaccine and the number of prior doses
• Ages 5 years and older
• 1 dose of 2024–­2025 Moderna or 1 dose of 2024–­2025 Pfizer-BioNTech

Additional dose: An additional dose of 2024–­2025 COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 65 years and older who are not moderately or severely immunocompromised is NOT currently recommended.

People who are immunocompromised

Initial vaccination

• Ages 6 months and older
• 3 doses of 2024–­2025 Moderna or 3 doses of 2024–­2025 Pfizer-BioNTech

Received previous doses of a COVID-19 vaccine

• Recommended mRNA vaccine and number of 2024–­2025 doses are based on age and vaccination history

Additional doses: People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised ages 6 months and older may receive 1 or more age-appropriate doses of a 2024–2025 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.