COVID-19 Booster Reportedly Coming Soon; What To Know In MA

MASSACHUSETTS — Cambridge-based Moderna's new COVID-19 booster, which the pharmaceutical company says works against a potentially concerning new virus strain, could be approved as soon as Friday by federal regulators.

COVID-19 hospitalizations nationwide increased almost 16 percent in the week ending Aug. 26, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths were up by almost 18 percent.

During the same period in Massachusetts, hospitalizations were up 4.7 percent with COVID-related deaths up 3.5 percent. The test-positivity rate — which was widely used to direct public masking policy during the height of the pandemic but has become less indicative of overall levels since the widespread distribution of unreported at-home tests — increased 1.1 percent to 11.6 percent overall in the state.

Berkshire County saw the highest percentage increase in hospital admissions, with Barnstable, Plymouth, Norfolk, Middlesex and Suffolk counties all also increasing hospitalizations. Worcester and Franklin counties saw even hospitalizations, while Essex and Bristol counties had decreases.

All Massachusetts counties remain in the "low" category for hospitalization levels nationally, according to the CDC.

The XBB.1.5 strain is no longer dominant, but the new booster should protect against other subvarients that are currently circulating, according to NBC News, the first to report on the expected action by the Food and Drug Administration. Moderna and Pfizer have both indicated their boosters appear to provide protection against the BA.2.86 omicron subvariant, which hasn’t yet become dominant.

Approval may not come Friday. A CDC advisory group will issue its own recommendations, action that could come at a scheduled meeting Tuesday. The shots could be available as early as Wednesday, though the exact timeline is not clear.

For the first time, the government won’t pay for the booster, as it has for others since vaccines became available in 2021. Modern and Pfizer have said they plan to offer the shots for about $110 to $130.

It’s not clear what groups will be encouraged to get the booster, but the CDC recommends that everyone get an updated vaccine in addition to their 2021 shots, and that people age 65 and older get a second booster.

About 97 percent of Americans have some level of vaccine protection, though health experts warn immunity fades over time. In Massachusetts, CDC data said that 36 percent of adult women and 30.2 percent of adult men are up to date on their vaccinations — well above the national average but far below the near-universal levels of vaccinations in the state when they were first made available in 2021.

The trend toward more hospitalizations and deaths began this summer and is expected to continue into the fall and winter months as people spend more time indoors.