As students head into the upcoming virus season, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services encourages Wisconsinites 12 and older to receive the updated COVID-19 booster, according to a press release.
According to the CDC, this booster is known as a “bivalent vaccine” — the first Omicron-specific vaccine to prevent severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19. It targets the original strain as well as the Omicron BA.4 and dominant BA.5 variants.
This updated booster was approved by the FDA on Aug. 31, 2022 and officially recommended by the CDC on Sept. 1. While everyone 12 and older is encouraged to receive the new booster, the Wisconsin DHS emphasizes in their press release the importance of people 50 and older or immunocompromised individuals receiving the updated vaccine.
Eligible Wisconsinites are encouraged to receive this single dose booster at least two months after receiving the primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations and original booster, according to the Wisconsin DHS.
Both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna manufactured an updated booster people can receive after any available primary COVID-19 vaccine series. According to the Wisconsin DHS press release, the Pfizer booster is available to people 12 and older while the updated Moderna booster is only administered to people 18 and older.
Children ages five to eleven will become eligible to receive the updated booster in the upcoming months, but as of now they can receive the original COVID-19 booster.
Residents of Madison are encouraged to visit vaccines.gov to find vaccination locations for specific age groups, and visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services COVID-19 vaccine page for more information regarding COVID-19 and the vaccination program.
