New COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters Target Omicron: What To Know In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — A new targeted booster shot designed to combat the omicron subvariant of coronavirus was approved by federal officials Wednesday, and shots will soon be available around Pennsylvania.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in their announcement that updated booster doses could be available within days.

Up until now, booster doses of the vaccine have targeted the original strain of COVID-19. The new booster dose will tweak the existing vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to take aim at the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants, both of which are dominant in the United States.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has not yet made a formal statement about distribution of the shots, or how much material the state will receive. However, state run vaccine clinics continue to operate around the state, and leadership has placed a renewed focus on getting shots to unvaccinated children as they head back to school.

The updated Moderna booster will be available to people 18 years and older, while the Pfizer booster is authorized for use in those 12 years and older, the FDA said. The updated shots will be open to anyone who already had their primary vaccinations at least two months before receiving the booster dose.

The new boosters are combination — or "bivalent" — shots. This means the doses contain half the original vaccine and half the new formula targeting omicron.

Before the booster doses can be available to the public, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must recommend who should get the additional shot. An advisory panel is expected to review the evidence and make a decision Thursday, according to The Associated Press.

Officials hope the updated booster dose will help curb another fall and winter infection surge.

"The COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, continue to save countless lives and prevent the most serious outcomes of COVID-19," FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement. "As we head into fall and begin to spend more time indoors, we strongly encourage anyone who is eligible to consider receiving a booster dose with a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine to provide better protection against currently circulating variants."

Omicron was responsible for the fall surge in 2021 that led to thousands of hospitalizations in Pennsylvania.

Numbers continue to steadily improve in Pennsylvania. The state had 14,133 confirmed cases last week, down nearly 2,000 from the week before. Average daily hospitalizations due to the virus fell from 1,273 to 1,259.

The United States has purchased more than 170 million doses from the two companies. Pfizer said it could ship up to 15 million doses by the end of next week.

The big question is whether people will roll up their sleeves to receive the new dose. Half of vaccinated Americans got the first recommended booster dose, and only a third of those 50 and older who were urged to get a second booster did so.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.