With cold-and-flu season around the corner, many Illinois residents are curious about the steps they can take to protect themselves against COVID-19, and officials are providing information on how to proceed in coming weeks.
According to a press release, the Illinois Department of Public Health says that the state remains at low levels of COVID transmission, but officials are also urging the public to remain cautious and to begin preparations for a turn toward colder weather.
While many residents may be curious about recommendations for COVID booster shots, Illinois health officials say that such guidance is still forthcoming because of changes to the formulation of the vaccines.
“The FDA has directed drug manufacturers to develop a new monovalent COVID-19 booster that targets the dominant XBB.1.5 strain of the virus,” officials said.
Guidance is expected from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the coming weeks, according to a statement.
Currently, COVID booster shots and initial doses are formulated as “bivalent” vaccines, meaning they offer protection both against the original strain of COVID that impacted the U.S. in 2020, and the Omicron variants known as BA.4 and BA.5, which were the most-recent dominant strains of the virus.
The new monovalent vaccine doses will specifically target the XBB.1.5 strain, the latest dominant strain to impact the U.S., according to officials.
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As a result, patients could potentially be advised to hold off on getting booster shots until more guidance is offered on the new monovalent doses, but guidance will vary based on an individual's health status, according to experts.
As for current guidance for COVID vaccinations, anyone six months or older is encouraged to get a COVID vaccination. Those who are completely unvaccinated are urged to get a total of three doses of either the Moderna or the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, with four weeks between each dose.
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Anyone who has received their initial doses is recommended to get a bivalent booster dose of the vaccine, while those who are immunocompromised could potentially get a second booster if their doctor recommends it.
Those who have received doses of the Novavax vaccine are encouraged to get a bivalent booster shot from either Moderna or Pfizer, eight weeks after their last dose.
If you need information on your COVID vaccination history, you can visit Vax Verify through the IDPH, and you will receive that information.
