(First published date: August 27, 2024, Updated date: October 24, 2024)
Note: Information in this article is accurate at the time of original publication. Information about COVID-19 changes rapidly, so stay informed by visiting the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and your state and local government. is recommended.
Newly updated as the summer of 2024 draws to a close, marked by another surge in coronavirus infections (COVID-19) and a fall and winter season when respiratory illnesses could overwhelm hospitals. A new coronavirus vaccine is now available. A new vaccine is expected to be effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death associated with the new coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive one of the most recent vaccines. The latest mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were fully approved for people 12 years and older in mid-August and cleared for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for infants and children ages 6 months to 11 years, respectively. License (EUA) has been obtained. The mRNA vaccine targets the SARS-CoV-2 strain called KP.2.
Later that month, the FDA approved Novavax’s latest coronavirus vaccine for everyone age 12 and older. This shot targets another strain, JN.1.
In October, the CDC additionally recommended that people 65 and older and those with moderate or severe immunocompromise receive a second vaccine dose six months after the first dose. The updated recommendations also allow for flexibility in additional doses (i.e., 3 or more doses) for people with moderate or severe immunocompromise, in consultation with their health care provider.
Dr. Scott Roberts, an infectious disease specialist at Yale Medicine, recommends the latest vaccines as the best way to protect against coronavirus infection and severe outcomes, including hospitalization and death. “COVID-19 is never going to go away, and we are confident that we will see an increase in cases in our community this winter,” he says. “We continue to see people hospitalized with coronavirus, and the majority of them have not been vaccinated.”
Below, Dr. Roberts answers your questions about the latest coronavirus vaccines this fall.
