What you need to know about getting the bivalent booster in MN
With the latest bivalent COVID-19 booster now widely available and a likely rough flu and coronavirus season ahead, here’s what Minnesotans need to know about it.
MINNEAPOLIS — While the COVID-19 pandemic has receded into the background of some peoples’ minds, the coronavirus continues to claim the lives of hundreds of Americans each day.
With the latest COVID-19 vaccine booster, people can lower their chances of getting seriously ill from the coronavirus and their chances of dying from it, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new booster is called “bivalent” because it protects against the original strain of COVID-19 and the newer Omicron variant.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, only 67.5% of Minnesotans have completed their vaccine series. Since the bivalent booster became available on Sept. 7, 4.3% of eligible Minnesotans, or 239,059 people, are up-to-date with their vaccine doses.
What you need to know
Dr. Bill Morice, the president of Mayo Clinic Labs, told KARE 11 that the Federal Drug Administration “fast-tracked” the bivalent boosters because of how quickly COVID-19 can adapt and evolve.
According to the CDC, a delay in waiting for human trial data could make the booster outdated by the time a fall surge approaches.
At the time, Dr. Morice added that since the boosters are new, there just hasn’t been enough time to study how much more effective they will be than previous vaccines.
“We don’t have the clinical data like we have with the prior boosters, to know how much more effective they will be,” he said. “We do know they elicit a strong antibody response, and we know that they’re going to be safe, because they are so similar to what’s already proven to be safe, clinically. We don’t know how much more effective because we just don’t have that data yet.”
Hennepin Healthcare internist and pediatrician Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn also told KARE 11 that the bivalent booster would be one people would receive if they haven’t previously received a booster.
“Right now it’s the best we can predict, we don’t know what’s going to come next, but we do know Omicron is the primary form of COVID that is circulating right now,” she explained.
Dr. Morice said that he thinks of the bivalent boosters as the next step in approaching COVID-19 vaccines, likening it to the flu vaccine that is designed with what strain is currently circulating most.
The White House has also thought of the latest…
Read More: What you need to know about getting the bivalent booster in MN