FDA expected to greenlight COVID booster as Bay Area infections rise

The Food and Drug administration plans to greenlight an updated version of the COVID-19 booster as early as Friday, NBC News reports, which means the new vaccines could be available as soon as next week. 

The latest shots are designed to target the dominant omicron subvariant prevalent in much of the country. 

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, said he expected the vaccine to help further reduce COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths. 

“My recommendation is to embrace it, especially if you’re older than 65 or you are immunocompromised at any age,” said Chin-Hong. “The way I think of it is, timing it to get your flu and covid shot at the same time. That’s what I do. And you want to get it before Halloween.”

Chin-Hong said that method will allow your body time to develop strong immunity before the anticipated peak of the winter wave of COVID cases.

“I plan to get it because I know what it was like to have COVID before my vaccine and after my vaccine,” said San Jose resident Norma Candelas, “And after was much milder symptoms.”

The Bay Area is currently seeing a rise in COVID cases, according to Chin-Hong, and that is expected to continue. 

In Santa Clara County, the levels of the disease in wastewater are high in both Palo Alto and San Jose. At the same time, similar surges are being observed in other Bay Area counties. 

“The wastewater levels being high means that there’s a lot of infection in our community,” said Chin-Hong. 

The CDC is expected to issue its own recommendations on the latest COVID vaccine on Tuesday, but Chin-Hong advised that it’s not the only shot to consider. 

“It’s important to get a flu shot,” he added. “The flu, it’s just as big a killer as COVID.”