New booster will protect us better against the omicron variant

Updated COVID-19 boosters designed to better protect against the most recent variants have arrived. Most of us should be thankful and take the shot as soon as we are eligible, starting with those who are over 65, immune-compromised, or dealing with co-morbidities that put us at risk.

The new boosters are designed to restore vaccine protections that waned as the omicron variant mutated and spread throughout the country. The lack of protection, coupled with the ease with which omicron spread, has led to a staggering number of cases regionally and nationally.

And while the latest variant isn’t killing people at the rate of the original COVID-19 virus, hundreds of thousands worldwide have died of the disease in 2022. It appears that 110,000 to 180,000 people will continue to die of COVID each year in the United States alone.

Now we can better protect ourselves from omicron by leaning on the remarkable scientific accomplishments that delivered the original COVID-19 vaccine.

The updated bivalent boosters tell our cells to make antibodies against two strains of the virus that causes COVID-19 — the original strain and the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants. Even the new boosters are not great at warding off infection, but they are excellent in preventing hospitalization and death. This is very similar to the yearly influenza vaccine, which is much better at preventing complications than preventing infection.

Pfizer/BioNTech's updated vaccine is authorized for people 12 and older; Moderna's is for people 18 and older.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the boosters could prevent 137,000 hospitalizations and nearly 10,000 deaths if given now compared to November. But weariness to anything COVID-related is widespread. Masks, testing, initial boosters, and vaccine uptake in children have waned over the last year. We are completely dependent on the vaccines to keep the outbreak in check. That's why people should reconsider any reluctance to get this booster.

I’m hopeful that metropolitan area residents will roll up their sleeves. State data shows that more than 90% of Nassau County adults and 80% of Suffolk adults have received at least one COVID-19 shot. The state also reports that more than half of Long Island adults have received at least one booster shot. 

These statistics are roughly comparable to New York City and neighboring regions in New Jersey and Connecticut.

There is concern that some regions of the country could be more hesitant to take the new-and-improved booster. Politics have clouded discussions about its safety. But COVID vaccines have been given to over 3 billion people and have proved to be remarkably safe. Minor tweaks to the vaccine, as was done to produce the new booster, will be needed to keep up with an ever-changing virus. However, the production method is identical to that of earlier versions, which is why we know it’s safe, even though this version wasn’t tested on humans.

Over time, patients have become more comfortable taking the annual flu vaccine. We should start to look at the COVID-19 vaccine the same way. We tweak the vaccine, but don’t change its side effects.

The holiday season is still a few months away, which means there’s time to ensure that it will be a healthy and safer time for everyone. That starts by taking the booster shot that targets the omicron variant.

This guest essay reflects the views of Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of public health and epidemiology for Northwell Health.