COVID is still a threat – and is expected to increase over the holidays

You may have stored your collection of COVID masks in the back of some closet shelf. But that doesn’t mean the threat is gone. COVID is still the No. 10 killer in the U.S and continues knocking lots of us off our feet for days at a time.

And as the holidays approach, public health experts advise that it’s a great time to get a booster vaccine. The children, seniors and immunocompromised people in your life will thank you for helping keep them safe.

All three vaccine brands approved by the FDA – Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax – were updated in 2024 to target current strains of the COVID-19 virus. Pfizer and Moderna shots target the KP.2 strain while Novavax targets the JN.1 strain.

“Getting vaccinated or receiving a booster remains the best way to protect yourself,” said Dr. David Priest, Novant Health senior vice president, and chief safety and quality officer. “Getting boosted or vaccinated greatly reduces your chance of serious illness and hospitalization and help us protect the more vulnerable people around us. It also increases you chances of getting through the holidays without illness that can spoil vacation and family gathering plans.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention summed up its latest guidance Oct. 23, 2024:

• To help protect against severe disease, hospitalization and death, people 6 months and older who have a weakened immune system should get the 2024–25 COVID vaccine that’s now available.
• People who are immunocompromised may get additional doses after they have received their recommended number of 2024–25 doses.
• But it’s a good idea for everyone to get the booster because it helps control the spread and reduces the severity of symptoms if you do get COVID. If you’re not sure whether you need a booster, talk to your health care clinician, who can help you decide based on your personal health history and risk factors.
• The recommended number of doses depends on age, vaccination history and vaccine brand. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are recommended for those 6 months and older. Everyone 12 months and older can get the Novavax vaccine, in addition to the other two.

Anyone 6 months and older who is immunocompromised and has never had a COVID vaccine should get their first series from the same brand. In other words, they need three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna or two doses of Novavax. They also may be able to get extra doses.

People 6 months and older who are immunocompromised and have gotten COVID vaccines before Aug. 21, 2024, should get one or two doses of the 2024–25 COVID vaccine, depending on their age and the number of doses they got previously. They also may be able to get extra doses. See details below.

If you’ve had COVID recently, you may wait three months after your symptoms resolve before getting a booster. The risk of getting COVID is lower in the weeks and months following a COVID infection. However, there can be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later:

• Personal risk of severe COVID
• Risk of COVID in a family or household
• Local levels of COVID (Click the link, enter your state and county to find out the current threat level.)

Who needs two COVID boosters?

On Oct. 31, the CDC updated its guidance to indicate that some people should get two shots six months apart. That includes:

• People who are 65 and older.
• People who are 6 months and older with moderately to severely compromised immune symptoms.
• See box below for specific details.

That guidance comes after a summer surge triggered more hospitalizations among more vulnerable populations in the U.S. Health experts warn the numbers could spike during the holidays when lots of us hit the road and gather for parties and family visits.

The one caveat to the two shots/six months guidance is for unvaccinated people who get the 2024–25 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. They’re advised to get two doses of Novavax followed by a third dose of any COVID-19 vaccine six months later.

Vaccines are like insurance policies for your health and the health of those around you. Staying current on the COVID vaccine helps “ensure that COVID-19 does not result in severe disease and death,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “In 2021 alone, COVID-19 vaccines saved at least an estimated 14.4 million lives worldwide.”