Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine Booster

Masks are now optional on public transit, public shelters, and correctional facilities in New York State.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced masking requirements will remain in effect at state-regulated health care facilities, adult care facilities, and clinical settings.

She said the state will continue following COVID-19 data and will adjust policies as needed.

Hochul also announced that the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters are now available in New York State. These boosters are designed to add Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants and bolster previous vaccination protection. The announcement follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s recommendation to use updated COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for anyone age 12 or older and from Moderna for those 18 or older.

To be eligible to receive the updated booster, individuals must have completed their original vaccine series or received a booster at least two months before.

New Yorkers should contact their regular health care provider, local pharmacy, or local county health department about getting the booster. New Yorkers can also visit vaccines.gov, text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby vaccination locations.

Hochul said in the coming weeks, the CDC is expected to announce updated COVID-19 boosters for younger pediatric groups. Until then, the monovalent mRNA Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine remains authorized for use as boosters in children ages 5 through 11 and for all primary series vaccinations.

According to the New York State COVID-19 Testing Tracker, Chautauqua County’s seven-day average positivity rate is 12.5%. The CDC Community Level is now at medium. At this level, the CDC recommends wearing a mask if you have symptoms of COVID-19, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID. They also recommend wearing a mask on public transportation.

The new shots target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants that most people are catching now. This new vaccine is called a bivalent vaccine.

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for use as a single booster dose in people 18 and older.

The Pfizer-BioNTech booster is authorized for people 12 years and up. People are eligible for the new boosters two months after completing their initial vaccination or their last booster shot.

The federal government plans to make the boosters available starting next week. Public health officials hope they will help contain a possible fall and winter surge.

An independent panel of advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted on Saturday to recommend vaccinating all children in the age group with one of two separate COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky quickly endorsed the recommendation, the final step before the vaccines could be rolled out.

During a two-day meeting starting Friday, the panelists reviewed data from clinical trials by both pharmaceutical companies, as well data on the need for vaccines for this age group.

According to the CDC, as of May 28, more than 400 children 0 to 4 years old have died due to COVID.

Dr. Matthew Daley, speaking at the meeting Friday, said, “Among people ages 1-4, COVID is fifth most common cause of all causes of death.”

He said data from older children and adults show that vaccination prevents death. In fact, he added, among people 5 years and older, the unvaccinated are 10 times more likely to die from COVID than the vaccinated.

The vaccine made by Moderna for 6-month-olds to 5-year-olds is a two-dose series, given four weeks apart. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 6-month-olds to 4-year-olds is a three-dose series. The first two shots are given three weeks apart, and the third one eight weeks after the second shot.

Many providers across the country have already pre-ordered the vaccine and can start administering it as early as this week.

COVID-19 vaccines

The Food and Drug Administration‘s Advisory Committee approved amending the Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to expand to children ages six months through five years old. Next, the Food and Drug Administration will make a final decision on authorization of the vaccine, followed by recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

Governor Kathy Hochul released a statement saying once the vaccine is recommended by the CDC Director, the State Department of Health will draft and issue guidance to providers.

Hochul said New York State is already making preparations to boost vaccination rates among children under the age of five with vaccine providers across the state already placing preliminary orders for 39,000 dosages. She added the State Department of Health is working to ensure providers across the state will be able to request additional doses, as well as developing a comprehensive statewide paid media campaign to encourage vaccinations that will launch this summer.

CNN reports that following “new data,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has postponed a Tuesday meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee that would have gone over data from vaccine trials and made a recommendation on whether a two-dose vaccine regimen should be authorized.

Pfizer and BioNTech had filed a request with the FDA in early February for an emergency use authorization of their vaccine in children 6 months to 5 years old.

The Washington Post reported the data supported the safety of the vaccines but showed disappointing effectiveness.

FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Dr. Peter Marks said the agency needs to see data from an on-going trial of a third vaccine dose in these younger children in order to move forward with emergency use authorization.

Pfizer and BioNTech said Friday that they expect to have data on three doses available in early April.

Photo Credit: CNN

The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been approved for use as a booster in 16 and 17-year olds.

CNN reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the vaccine with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending it for this age group.

It’s the first COVID-19 vaccine booster authorized for 16- and 17-year-olds in the United States.

Just as with adults, 16- and 17-year-olds are eligible to receive a booster dose six months after their second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. About 2.6 million U.S. teens in this age group would be eligible for boosters already.

FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Dr. Peter Marks said in a news release, “New evidence indicates that vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 is waning after the second dose of the vaccine for all adults and for those in the 16- and 17-year-old age group. A single booster dose of the vaccine for those vaccinated at least six months prior will help provide continued protection against COVID-19 in this and older age groups.”

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky released a statement saying, “Although we don’t have all the answers on the Omicron variant, initial data suggests that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen the protection against Omicron and other variants.”

Health officials emphasized that vaccinations, booster shots, wearing masks and avoiding large crowds all remain among the most effect methods for fighting COVID-19.

On Wednesday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced preliminary data that suggest its two-dose vaccine does not provide sufficient protection against infection with the Omicron coronavirus variant, although it may still protect against severe disease. However, the companies found, a booster dose increased protection significantly, to nearly the level of protection its two-dose vaccine provided against the earlier strain of the virus.