Bivalent omicron Covid-19 boosters are becoming available around the country, including here in Carroll County. Economy Drug in Berryville started offering the Moderna booster this week, but it is so popular that all appointments for this week have already been claimed.
“We have had a lot of demand for it,” a spokeswoman for the drugstore said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wrote in a press release that the boosters add omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components to current vaccine composition, helping restore protection that has waned by targeting variants that are more transmissible and immune evading. Even people who have the two primary shots and two boosters can become ill with the omicron variant, although the CDC reports that earlier vaccinations still provide significant protection against hospitalization and death.
CDC is recommending people 12 years and older receive one bivalent mRNA booster after completion of a monovalent primary series; it replaces all prior booster recommendations for this age group. The boosters approved for Emergency Use Authorization are also recommended for people who had the primary series and one or more boosters at least two months ago. The bivalent Moderna booster is recommended for those 18 and up, while the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose has clearance to be administered to those 12 years and older.
Eureka Springs School Supt. Bryan Pruitt said the schools were recently planning a booster shot with the original vaccine formula.
“The school nurse said, ‘Let’s wait and get the new one because if you got the old one, you wouldn’t be able to take the new one for a while’,” Pruitt said. “We hope to have a vaccination clinic with the new bivalent vaccine soon. We also plan to have a flu shot clinic soon.”
CDC recommends waiting at least two months after the primary vaccine or booster, or an infection, before taking the new bivalent vaccine. Some medical experts have voiced the opinion it is better to wait at least three months, but no more than six months.
Pruitt said they got spooked a little with some Covid cases among staff and students the first couple weeks of school that started in mid-August. But as of Sept. 12, only one staff member was out with Covid and was expected to be back at work by Sept. 13. A half dozen students have been out with Covid, and a few in preschool are out of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common respiratory virus that can causes cold-like symptoms such as a sore throat, coughing, congestion and headaches. CDC reports most people recover in a week or two.
There is also the common cold.
“When I talked to the nurse, she said we are seeing the common cold and allergies more than anything,” Pruitt said. “Covid has kind of leveled off and, hopefully, we will be okay. We anticipated the first few weeks of school having a rash of illnesses coming in. Things have gotten a little better. It looks like we are going to be able to concentrate on education for a while. We are looking forward to some nice fall weather and maybe those kids with fall allergies will start to feel better.”
Eureka Springs Hospital reports that between Sept. 5-12, they have had seven positive Covid tests, 11 positive RSV tests, and no one has tested positive for flu. Their pharmacist is working on obtaining the new bivalent vaccine. Anyone interested in receiving the vaccine should call Samantha Jones at the hospital, (479) 253-7400, ext. 4802, to get on the list.