The updated COVID-19 vaccine may be a little easier for adults to find but it’s still very frustrating for young children.
Health officials said Thursday that children’s shots had begun to be delivered — and reminded most people to get a fall flu shot, too.
About 2 million Americans have gotten the new COVID-19 shot in the two weeks since it was approved despite initial hurdles from insurance companies and other distractions, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
For the first time, the US has a vaccine to fight a trio of viruses that cause fall and winter misery.
But health officials worry that the fatigue of the shots and the hassle of getting them will leave too many people unprotected.
“We need to use it,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Thursday. “Now is the right time.”
The updated COVID-19 vaccine may be a little easier for adults to find but it’s still very frustrating for young children. AFP via Getty Images
Updated flu vaccinations and the COVID-19 shot are urged for almost everyone, starting with babies as young as 6 months.
Also this year, a vaccine against another scary virus called RSV is recommended for people 60 and older and for certain pregnant women.
And for babies, a vaccine-like drug to protect against the respiratory syncytial virus is expected to arrive next month.
For the first time, the US has a vaccine to fight a trio of viruses that cause fall and winter misery. AP
“The vaccine may not be perfect to be able to completely prevent every infection with this disease, but it makes wild infections milder,” said Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
A few things to know:
WHY DO I NEED ANOTHER COVID-19 SHOT?
This year’s vaccine is updated to protect against new versions of the ever-evolving coronavirus. There has already been a late summer spike in infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
Updated flu vaccinations and COVID-19 shots are urged for almost everyone. AFP via Getty Images
And so far the new vaccine recipe seems to match the currently circulating variant.
Protection against COVID-19, either from vaccination or from prior infection, is waning over time — and most Americans haven’t had a dose of the vaccine in about a year.
Everyone over the age of 5 only needs one shot this fall even if they’ve never been vaccinated before, while younger children may need additional doses depending on their vaccinations and infection history.
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO FIND A PRECAUTION FOR COVID-19?
The start of the launch was messy.
This time the government did not buy and distribute pictures for free.
A vaccine against another scary virus called RSV is recommended for people age 60 and older and for certain pregnant women. AP
Now drugstores, doctor’s offices and other providers are forced to place their own orders, and sometimes cancel appointments if supplies don’t arrive on time.
Some people are forced to wait for their insurance company to update the billing codes needed to cover them or risk paying out of pocket.
Manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna have shipped millions of doses, and say there is plenty of supply — and lately, more appointments have started opening up, at least for those 12 and older.
In Wednesday’s meeting, insurers told HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra that they had resolved most of the paperwork issues preventing vaccinations for some patients.
The catch should be given in free network to the insured.
For the uninsured or underinsured, the CDC has opened what it calls a “bridge” program to provide free shots at certain sites.
WHY CAN’T PARENTS FIND PICTURES OF COVID-19 FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN?
The adult dose is delivered first, said Cohen of the CDC. Doses for the under-12 set have started to be delivered, and “supplies are being replenished,” he said.
Drugstore chain CVS said its doses for ages 5 and older began arriving last week, though supplies vary by location, while its MinuteClinic locations expect to open appointments for children as young as 18 months in the coming days.
For pediatricians, they have to guess how many doses to buy up front while waiting to find out how much insurance companies will reimburse them for each injection, said Dr. Jesse Hackell of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
AFP via Getty Images
He said early parental requests are encouraging but pediatricians expect to spend a lot of time this fall explaining to hesitant families how important the COVID-19 vaccination is even for healthy children.
In Redmond, Washington, Ania Mitros got herself, her husband and her 13-year-old son vaccinated easily but despite calls to several pharmacies and clinics couldn’t find anyone to tell her when shots for her 8- and 11-year-olds would be available. “There needs to be clear expectations,” he said.
WHAT ABOUT THE FLU VACCINE?
Fewer Americans got the flu vaccine last year than before the coronavirus outbreak — a disappointing gap that the CDC hopes to reverse.
People need a flu vaccine every fall because influenza also mutates every year.
There are different types of flu vaccines, including a nasal spray version for certain young people. AFP via Getty Images
Like COVID-19, the flu is most dangerous to older adults, the very young, and people with weakened immune systems, lung, heart, or other chronic health problems, or who are pregnant.
There are different types of flu vaccines, including a nasal spray version for certain young people.
More importantly, three types are recommended specifically for seniors because they do a better job of boosting the immune system of older adults.
CAN I GET THE FLU AND THE COVID-19 MEDICATION AT THE SAME TIME?
Yes, although one on each arm might be more comfortable.
WHO NEEDS THE NEW RSV VACCINE?
RSV is a flu-like disorder for most people and is not as well known as the flu.
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But RSV packs hospitals every winter and kills several hundred young children and thousands of elderly people.
The CDC says already, RSV cases are increasing in the Southeast.
RSV vaccines from GSK and Pfizer are approved for adults 60 years and older.
Drug stores have adequate supplies but some seniors report barriers such as the need to obtain a prescription.
That’s because the CDC recommends that seniors talk to their doctors about new vaccines.
Cohen said it’s only intended for education about viruses that people may not know about.
“We want people … to have access to the vaccine as soon as possible,” he said.
WHAT ABOUT BABIES AND RSV?
The FDA has also approved Pfizer’s RSV vaccine to be given late in pregnancy so that expectant mothers pass antibodies that fight the virus to their fetuses, offering some protection at birth.
The CDC recommends that pregnancy vaccinations be offered between September and January when RSV tends to be most common.
Health officials said Thursday that almost everyone should get a flu shot this year. AFP via Getty Images
There is no vaccine for children but babies whose mothers were not vaccinated during pregnancy may get an injection of laboratory-made antibodies to control RSV.
Called Beyfortus, the single-dose injection from Sanofi and AstraZeneca is different from a vaccine, which teaches the body to make its own infection-fighting antibodies, but also protects.
Cohen said it should be available in October.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
