The latest round of boosters are expected to drop soon.
Just when you thought you’d seen the last of Covid-19, there’s a new dominant strain sweeping the globe. According to the latest report from Centers for Disease Control, the EG.5 variant — which has also been nicknamed “Eris” — is causing about 17 percent of coronavirus cases in the U.S. alone. It’s also behind upticks in China, South Korea, Japan, and Canada, among other countries.
While there’s no specific vaccine targeting this subvariant yet, there are two newly FDA and CDC approved boosters that can offer better protection against severe disease.
“As we head into fall and winter, we are in our strongest position yet with more tools and systems available than ever before – including safe and effective vaccines, widely available at-home tests, and effective treatments,” said President Biden following the news.
As we wait for the latest boosters to be rolled out in the coming days, here’s what you should know about the variant and which vaccines have been approved so far.
How is EG.5 different from previous Covid strains?
EG.5 now accounts for the biggest portion of Covid-19 infections in the country compared to any other variant, according to the CDC. The subvariant also isn’t exactly new — it’s an offshoot of the XBB recombinant strain of the Omicron family.
But that doesn’t mean health officials aren’t keeping tabs on it. On Aug. 9, the World Health Organization classified EG.5 as a “variant of interest.” While it’s more transmissible than other strains, the good news is it doesn’t seem any more deadly than past ones.
“We don’t detect a change in the severity of EG.5 compared to other sublineages of Omicron that have been in circulation since late 2021,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, told Reuters.
While there’s no clinical data out yet on the specific symptoms, they also appear similar to previous strains. These include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, and muscle or body aches. Some people might also experience fever or nausea and vomiting.
Will the new Covid booster shot protect you against EG.5?
The updated Covid boosters were designed to target the XBB.1.5 subvariant instead of EG.5 because that was the dominant strain at the time. They’re also formulated with a single component to combat the latest strain in hopes of ultimately broadening immunity, marking a break from the last batch of “bivalent” vaccines, which protect against two virus strains.
But experts believe that the shots will at least offer some protection against EG.5 because it’s similar to other XBB subvariants. “They have nearly identical spike proteins, and that’s the basis of the vaccines,” virologist Andrew Pekosz told NBC. “So when the Covid boosters get available this fall, they should be a really nice match for this variant.”
Wondering if you should get it? According to the CDC and FDA, Americans as young as six months old are advised to get at least one dose of the latest Pfizer or Moderna updated booster as soon as they’re able. But there are some exceptions: Anyone who just got one of the previous boosters should wait at least two months before getting the new one and those who have recently been infected with Covid-19 have the option of waiting up to three months or when they’re feeling better before getting the latest layer of protection.
But some experts think it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution, especially for those who are over the age of 60 or have weakened immune systems. “It’s been a while since we had the bivalent boosters last year, and the variant XBB.1.5 and EG.5 are pretty different from what was in the last booster vaccine,” Pekosz said.
When will the updated Covid vaccines be available?
As promised, Moderna and Pfizer had their shots ready by September and they have been approved by both the FDA and the CDC. (A third vaccine option from Novavax is expected to be ready later this season for Americans as young as 12 years old but it still needs federal approval.)
“The public can be assured that these updated vaccines have met the agency’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality. We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated,” said Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
The new vaccines are expected to be rollout out in the coming days, with shipments going out as we type this sentence. But one possible snag could be due to the fact that they are no longer bought and distributed by the federal government after the public health emergency expired in May. That means hospitals, physician offices, and pharmacies will have to order these new shots. One thing that won’t change is that people who have Medicare or private insurance likely won’t face any out-of-pocket costs as long as they stay in network.
“There could be a period in here where things are a little bit chaotic, and that’s never a good situation,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia told The New York Times.
At least this year’s distribution seems to be on par as other countries, like the U.K, where Covid vaccines are just now rolling out this week. The first batch will go to the highest risk people in nursing homes, those ages 65 and over as well as health care workers.
