Updated COVID Vaccine Approved: What To Know, How To Get One In CA

CALIFORNIA— Federal regulators have approved updated COVID-19 vaccines to better target recent virus strains that have contributed to a summer illness surge in California and around the country.

On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for the latest mRNA vaccines, which have been reformulated to focus on a newer omicron variant known as KP.2, or FLiRT. The approval for this year's vaccine came a little earlier than in previous years, as most of the country is experiencing increased viral activity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already recommended this fall’s shot for everyone 6 months and older. Though different omicron strains, such as KP.3.1.1, have also been spreading (and may become more common in the fall and winter), health officials said the variants are closely related enough for the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines to ensure cross-protection.

According to the California Department of Public Health, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to change or mutate.

"The updated vaccines and available antiviral medications are expected to protect us, even with the recent changes in the virus," CDPH told Patch via email. "The lineage KP.3.1.1, still classified as Omicron and a descendant lineage of JN.1, is currently predicted to be the dominant variant, as it has both the highest proportion of cases and the fastest growing projection amongst all lineages in California."

When will the vaccines be available, and when should I get one?

Pfizer and Moderna are set to begin shipping millions of doses while a third U.S. manufacturer, Novavax, expects its modified vaccine version to be available a little later.

Supplies of 2024-2025 mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are starting to arrive in California and will be increasingly available throughout the state over the next month.

CVS is now offering appointments for the 2024-2025 vaccine, and Walgreens has appointments available beginning Sept. 6.

Keep in mind that the federal government is no longer buying and distributing COVID vaccines, so the shots are no longer free of charge, though insurance carriers should cover most or all of the cost.

Dr. Robert Hopkins Jr. of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases said skipping this new vaccine is “a hazardous way to go,” because even if your last infection was mild, your next might be worse or leave you with long COVID symptoms.

Hopkins advised that people at high risk from COVID should schedule vaccinations once shots are available in their area, as long as they have not been sick with the virus in the past three months, or had another COVID vaccine in the past two months. This high-risk group includes older adults, people with weak immune systems or other serious medical problems, nursing home residents and pregnant women.

Healthy adults and children "can get vaccinated anytime," Hopkins said, adding that these people could wait until the fall — when local pharmacies and doctor's offices have more doses, and people could potentially get a flu shot at the same time they receive the updated COVID vaccine.

Vaccine coverage is waning nationwide, with only 22.6 percent of U.S. adults currently protected by the 2023-2024 COVID vaccine that rolled out in September 2023, according to CDC data. Vaccine protection increased by age groups, with the highest coverage among adults 75 and older — though the strain targeted by those shots is no longer circulating.

In California, 15.1 percent of the population was up to date on the vaccine, with the highest number of vaccinated people in Marin County (32.9 percent) and San Mateo County (30.3 percent), according to the most recent data from the California Department of Public Health.

Much of the country, including California, is experiencing a summer bump in COVID-19 cases, according to updated wastewater surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Communities can use sewage samples to track the presence of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) as a data point to anticipate any spikes locally.

As of the latest update Aug. 22, wastewater viral activity for COVID-19 was at the "very high" level in California and nationally.

• ALSO SEE: The New Covid Vaccine Is Out. Why You Might Not Want To Rush To Get It

The Associated Press contributed to this report.