New and improved COVID boosters arriving in Twin Cities
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COVID-19 case numbers in the Twin Cities are once again on the rise. The most recent metro wastewater data released last Friday shows a 36% increase in virus detection over the prior week.
It comes as batches of the new bivalent boosters are arriving at hospitals, clinics and pharmacies around the metro.
Health experts say the bivalent booster is new and improved because it offers protection from the omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, which are the source of most infections right now.
Dr. David Hilden with Hennepin Healthcare and host of the “Healthy Matters” podcast says he is recommending the shot to most patients over the age of 12 if it’s been two months since completing the original vaccination series.
This August 2022 photo provided by Pfizer shows vials of the company's updated COVID-19 vaccine during production in Kalamazoo, Mich. U.S. regulators have authorized updated COVID-19 boosters, the first to directly target today's most common omicron strain. The move on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2022, by the Food and Drug Administration tweaks the recipe of shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna that already have saved millions of lives. (Pfizer via AP)
“I would strongly recommend the new bivalent booster. This is the first new one since late 2020 and all the other boosters target the original COVID, which has mutated so many times since then,” Dr. Hilden said.
Dr. Hilden also says it’s safe to get a flu shot and the booster at the same time and suggests waiting two to three months to get the booster if you have had a recent case of COVID.
Most hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across the metro already have the bivalent booster or will get it by the end of the week. At Hennepin Healthcare, they are scheduling booster appointments for the public beginning Tuesday.