Updated COVID-19 booster vaccines targeting recent Omicron variants are being distributed in Nevada, offering residents a new layer of protection against the virus.
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for the two updated COVID-19 boosters — one from Pfizer-BioNTech for people age 12 and older, and another from Moderna that’s available to those 18 and older.
The new boosters are bivalent vaccines, meaning they stimulate the immune system against two different antigens, in this case the Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, which are the biggest spreaders of COVID-19 currently, according to the Washoe County Health District. Unlike previous COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, this updated booster protects against BA.4 and BA.5.
“The concept of a multivalent vaccine to offer broader protection isn’t new,” said Dr. Nancy Diao, the division director of epidemiology and public health preparedness for the Washoe County Health District.
“Our flu vaccine for example is a quadrivalent vaccine that gets reassessed seasonally designed to protect against four different viral strains,” Diao said.
