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

VIRGINIA — Federal regulators have approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine to better target recent strains of the virus contributing to a summer illness surge in Virginia and other U.S. states.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted emergency use authorization for the latest mRNA vaccines, which were reformulated to focus on a newer omicron variant known as KP.2, or FLiRT. The approval of 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 is recommending this fall’s shot for everyone age 6 months and older. And though different omicron strains such as KP.3.1.1 are also spreading — and may become more common in the fall and winter — health officials said the variants are closely related enough for the 2024-25 COVID vaccines to ensure cross-protection.

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.

A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Health said doses are expected to arrive in the state by September, although the exact date is unknown.

When the vaccine becomes available, Virginians can make an appointment with a provider nearest them using this online tool. Residents can also call (877) VAX-IN-VA for help finding available vaccination clinics and to ask questions about vaccination and other COVID-19 topics.

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 22.5 percent of U.S. adults currently protected by the 2023-24 COVID vaccine that rolled out in September 2023, according to CDC data. Vaccine protection increased by age group, with the highest coverage among adults 75 and older.

In Virginia, 15.6 percent of adults received the 2023-24 vaccine, according to state data. The percentage increased to 24.7 percent in adults 50 years and older.

Much of the country, including Virginia, is experiencing a summer bump in COVID-19 cases, according to updated wastewater surveillance data from the CDC.

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 on Aug. 22, wastewater viral activity for COVID-19 is at a "very high" level nationally, and Virginia is at a "high" level.

"It is not unusual for there to be fluctuations in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths over time," Ruhland said. "But due to effective vaccinations and treatments, as well as the evolution of the virus, COVID-19 has become a much less severe illness for most of the population, and the number of hospitalizations and deaths have dropped dramatically since the height of the pandemic."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.