Louisiana Department of Health Announces that CDC Recommends First Updated COVID-19 Booster

The Louisiana Department of Health announced on September 2, 2022, that the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has endorsed the use of updated COVID-19 boosters for anyone 12 years and older, following its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation and the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) emergency use authorization.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended bivalent formulations of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use as a single booster dose at least two months after main or booster vaccination. These updated boosters are designed to provide sustained protection against the original strain while also providing improved protection against the two Omicron variant lineages, BA.4 and BA.5, which account for more than 90% of currently circulating virus.

The Moderna COVID-19 booster is authorized for individuals 18 years of age and older and the Pfizer booster is for use for individuals 12 years of age and older.

“The mRNA platform held promise to revolutionize our ability to respond in real time to a swiftly mutating virus. This is a realization of that promise – an updated booster targeting BA.4 and BA.5, made available while those variants represent over 90% of currently circulating virus,” said State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter. “I personally plan to get the updated booster and I recommend others who are eligible do so as well.”

The revised boosters are intended to provide greater protection against the presently circulating omicron variant, based on the data supporting each of these authorizations. Individuals who receive a bivalent COVID-19 booster may encounter the same side effects as those who receive authorized or approved monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations.

“Mix and matching” of the new bivalent booster dose is allowed. One may receive either the Pfizer or Moderna product regardless of which product they received for their primary series and/or prior booster dose.

With the approval of these two bivalent vaccinations, the original monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized as booster doses for people aged 12 and up.

LDH has advised all healthcare providers that this guidance is immediately effective and that they can begin ordering the vaccine. The boosters are scheduled to be accessible in the coming days.

The CDC and LDH both suggest that everyone 6 months and older receive vaccination against COVID-19 and that everyone 5 years and older get a booster as soon as they are eligible.

If you have any concerns about COVID-19 and COVID-19 immunizations, or if you need assistance, call the Louisiana COVID-19 Support Hotline at 1-855-453-0774. For a list of locations near you, go to vaccines.gov or text your ZIP code to GETVAX (438829) in English or VACUNA (822862) in Spanish.