The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as a single dose booster on Aug. 31.
The new booster provides protection against the BA.4 and the BA.5 strain of the omicron variant, according to the FDA. The CDC reported that these strains currently cause the majority of positive COVID-19 cases in the United States.
As of Oct. 12, the CDC recommends that people ages 5 years and older receive one updated (bivalent) booster if it has been at least two months since their last COVID-19 vaccine dose, whether that was their final primary series dose, or an original (monovalent) booster. People who have gotten more than one of the monovalent boosters are also recommended to get an updated bivalent booster.
According to the Georgia Department of Health, 52% of Clarke County is fully vaccinated, meaning a full two-vaccine series, and 28% have received an additional dose. The Georgia Department of Health does not track the percentage of people who have received the updated bivalent booster.
Missy Jackson, the Director of Nursing at the University Health Center, said the UHC has been administering COVID-19 vaccines since the first monovalent vaccines were first released. They now administer both the original monovalent vaccines and the updated bivalent boosters. The University Health Center follows CDC guidelines for the bivalent booster.
“Since receiving the first COVID-19 vaccines in December of 2020, the UHC has administered over 36,000 vaccines to over 19,000 distinct individuals. Of those total vaccines, UHC has administered approximately 1,000 bivalent vaccines,” Jackson said.
If students wish to receive the bivalent vaccine at the UHC, they can schedule an appointment in the UHC patient portal or call the Allergy and Travel clinic at 706-542-5575.
Jackson also said the Georgia Department of Public Health and local pharmacies in the Athens area are available to provide the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. She said it is important to contact the provider to verify if they have the correct vaccine when making an appointment.
Emily Harkness, a second-year anthropology major at the University of Georgia, said she got the updated booster at the same time as a flu vaccine. She said she has encouraged friends and family to get the vaccine to increase collective immunity.
“My grandma is very susceptible to COVID, so we’re all very cautious about it. I encouraged most of my family to get the vaccine, and I encouraged my friends as well, because it’s herd immunity,” Harkness said. “So if most people get it, then the chances of people getting very sick is going to be a lot less.”