St. Louis area providers either have the new shot on shelves or will receive it as soon as next week.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control approved booster shots specifically targeting the Omicron COVID-19 variant. Those boosters are now available widely in the St. Louis area.
Private providers such as Walgreens and CVS have the new booster in stock. Also known as the bivalent shot, as it targets both the original strain and the variants.
Area health departments are expecting the new booster in the near future. Yesterday, the St. Louis County Department of Health announced that it would have the updated shot next week. According to KSDK, Mercy Hospital, St. Louis City and St. Charles County are also awaiting supply.
The updated shots are endorsed by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for people ages 12 and up for the Pfizer-BioNTech shot and for those 18 and up for the Moderna shot. Both shots work by adding elements for the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike proteins.
The CDC will evaluate its recommendations for younger groups over time.
“The updated COVID-19 boosters are formulated to better protect against the most recently circulating COVID-19 variant," CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky said in a statement. "They can help restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination and were designed to provide broader protection against newer variants. This recommendation followed a comprehensive scientific evaluation and robust scientific discussion. If you are eligible, there is no bad time to get your COVID-19 booster and I strongly encourage you to receive it.”
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