Struggling to Find a Summer COVID-19 Vaccine? Updated Shots Are Coming Soon

As COVID-19 cases rise during the summer, many consumers are finding it difficult to secure the current vaccine, with supplies dwindling at pharmacies.¹ Fortunately, the FDA is expected to approve updated vaccines targeting more recent variants, and these could be available as soon as this week.

If approved this week, the move would be several weeks ahead of last year’s version of the vaccine, which received FDA signoff September 11, 2023. | Image credit: neirfy - stock.adobe.com

Although experts agree that the timing of these vaccines aligns with the annual flu shot rollout, they warn that treating COVID-19 like a seasonal virus may leave gaps in protection during summer surges.

COVID-19 is "like a 2-humped camel," said William Schaffner, MD, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in a statement to USA Today. "COVID never goes away the way influenza does, and we always have an increase in the summer, then it kind of goes down in the fall, and then we have a much larger increase in the winter."

On June 27, 2024, the CDC updated its 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine recommendation to everyone 6 months and older to protect against potentially serious outcomes this fall and winter, regardless of if they have ever received a COVID-19 vaccine.² However, as the virus became more prevalent throughout the summer, manufacturers halted shipments of the current vaccine to make space for the newer formulations awaiting FDA approval.¹ While some wholesalers still have doses of the current vaccine on hand, consumers have begun expressing complaints on social media about their difficulty finding the boosters for summer weddings and other social gatherings.

The surge in COVID-19 cases is linked to waning immunity and the spread of new variants, with KP.3.1.1 currently being the most prevalent in the US.³ However, despite rising hospitalizations, the severity is not as high as in previous years.

The good news is the FDA is ready to sign off as soon as this week on updated COVID-19 vaccines, as the country experiences its largest summer wave in 2 years, according to CNN.³

The FDA is expected to greenlight updated mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech that target the KP.2 strain, according to sources who declined to be named because the timing information is not public. Additionally, it was unclear whether the FDA would also authorize Novavax’s updated shot, which targets the JN.1 strain.

Furthermore, representatives for Pfizer and Moderna told CNN that the companies had ample supply of their updated vaccines and would be ready to ship doses upon approval, while Moderna’s spokesman said it expects the vaccine to be available in stores within days of the FDA approval.

If approved this week, the move would come several weeks ahead of last year’s version of the vaccine, which received FDA signoff September 11, 2023.

"The FDA anticipates taking timely action to authorize or approve updated COVID-19 vaccines in order to make vaccines available this fall," said Carly Pflaum, an FDA media officer, to USA Today.¹

References

1. Alltucker K. Covid-19 is surging and you can’t find a booster? you’re not alone. USA Today. August 21, 2024. Accessed August 21, 2024. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/08/20/covid-vaccine-shots-shortage-summer/74869709007/

2. CDC recommends updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 and flu vaccines for Fall/winter virus season. News release. CDC. June 27, 2024. Accessed August 21, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s-t0627-vaccine-recommendations.html

3. Tirrell M. FDA may greenlight updated covid-19 vaccines as soon as this week, sources say. CNN. August 18, 2024. Accessed August 21, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/16/health/fda-updated-covid-19-vaccines/index.html