Updated versions of COVID-19 vaccines are now available at pharmacies and clinics in the St. Louis region after the federal Food and Drug Administration approved them for emergency use in August.
Health workers recommend everyone seek the vaccine, especially as new mutations of the virus have circulated in the region this summer.
I’ve heard there is a new vaccine? Where can I find it?
The FDA last summer gave emergency approval to new versions of COVID-19 vaccines that are by now familiar to many: the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines. Those vaccines, widely available at local pharmacies, work by using a piece of genetic material that matches genetic material from the coronavirus. It teaches a cell to make antibodies that correspond to the virus, which prepares the body to fight a potential infection.
Those latest vaccines are tailored to a more recent variant of the virus known as KP.2, which have been spreading over the summer, said Catherine Gilmore, a pharmacist and professor at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis.
The coronavirus “kind of outsmarts our immune system and changes a little bit, which is why we have different strains,” she said. “It's why we keep coming up with new vaccines to treat those strains.”
The FDA also approved a new vaccine from the drugmaker Novavax that is more similar to a traditional non-mRNA immunization. FDA has authorized it for emergency use only in people 12 and older.
Of the Novavax vaccine, Huelskoetter said, “You kind of need to search for it a little bit more,”
That’s because many pharmacies don’t want to buy different types of vaccines for different age groups, she said. Those who want that vaccine can find which pharmacies carry it on the drugmaker’s website.
Has the coronavirus been spreading more? Are more people getting sick?
More people are visiting the doctor with coronavirus symptoms, said Beth Huelskoetter, a nurse practitioner at OSF HealthCare in Godfrey.
“Right now we're in an uptick,” she said. “We're definitely seeing more positive cases, and it's kind of following the same pattern that you would think of with flu or cold and flu season.”
Summer saw an increase in the prevalence of the coronavirus, she said. That’s slightly unusual, since most respiratory viruses spread in the colder months.
In the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region 7, which includes Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, one in five tests in early September came back positive, a higher rate than in other parts of the country.
Wastewater data from the University of Missouri and the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services shows the levels of COVID-19 in the state’s sewersheds increased steadily throughout the summer until early August. The levels have begun to decrease but still remain “very high,” according to the CDC.
Who should get the vaccine, and when should they schedule their shot?
Health officials recommend everyone get a vaccine, particularly those who are immunocompromised or older.
“Having a normal, functioning immune system, it's still good to get boosted if it's been a while,” Gilmore said. “But for those that are immunocompromised, if they maybe have a condition or take a medicine that weakens their immune system, it's more important that they get this updated covid vaccine to help boost their immune response if they do come in contact with coronavirus.”
One of the few groups that should hold off is those who have had recent COVID-19 infections, she said. The federal government recommends waiting at least three months since testing positive before getting an updated vaccine.
People who have recently received a COVID-19 immunization also should wait.
What happens if I get sick? Have guidelines changed?
Earlier this year, the CDC updated its guidelines for how people who test positive for the coronavirus should respond. The agency claims new guidelines are more in line with those for the flu and other common respiratory illnesses.
Not everyone agrees with the new policy. Public health experts have stated that it makes workplaces and public places more dangerous. However, federal health officials said the changing virus is much less deadly than it was in the past.
“CDC’s updated guidance reflects how the circumstances around COVID-19 in particular have changed,” officials from the agency wrote in March. “While it remains a threat, today it is far less likely to cause severe illness because of widespread immunity and improved tools to prevent and treat the disease.”
People sick with any respiratory virus, including COVID-19, should stay home when they’re sick, the new guidelines state. People can return to regular activities if their symptoms are improving and if they haven’t had a fever for 24 hours. Even then, it’s recommended that people wear masks and keep their distance from others, if possible.
“You have … the highest rate of passing it on when you have a fever,” Huelskoetter said. “When your body develops a fever, it is trying to fight that infection with all it has. And so that's when you know you're kind of like at your sickest.”
People who test positive but don’t have symptoms should wear masks and take other precautions while monitoring symptoms and continuing to test themselves before being around others.
Can I still get vaccines or coronavirus tests for free?
The federal government last month announced it’s bringing back the free coronavirus test program. Starting later this month, each household will be able to order up to four COVID tests for free through COVIDtests.gov.
Vaccines are more complicated. The federal “bridge access” program that offered vaccines for free to uninsured people and those whose plans didn’t cover the shots ended when funding ran out, Gilmore said.
People who have insurance will most likely be able to get immunized for free, but uninsured people will need to search for options at community health centers or through local health departments.
A limited amount of the new COVID vaccines will soon be available for those without insurance at St. Louis County health department clinics, she said.
