Two of this year’s versions of the Covid-19 vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and should be available soon. Both Pfizer and Moderna have prepared vaccines that will be effective against the KP.2 strain of coronavirus that appeared this spring, as well as the most prevalent variants that are circulating in the United States right now.
According to Dr. Paul Sax, the clinical director of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston (affiliated with Harvard Medical School), “When the match is very good, as we anticipate it would be with the current circulating strains, you get actual protection from infection for several months.” As with previous vaccines, the likelihood of severe disease and hospitalizations will be dramatically reduced for those who are immunized with the new vaccine.
Covid infections this summer have been occurring at double the rate of this past winter. Hospitalizations have also increased. By the middle of July, Covid was responsible for the deaths of about 600 Americans per week, far more that those due to the flu. One reason: only 20 per cent of eligible adults and children received the 2023 Covid vaccine, a significant decline from the previous year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommend that all eligible adults and children 6 months of age and older receive one of the new, updated Covid vaccines. I agree.
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