NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Moderna and Pfizer Vaccine was updated on 8/31/22 by the FDA, so that means no boosters can be given to ages 12 or over in Kansas for a little while.
"The CDC has recently approved the administration of a bivalent," said Reno County Health Department Director Karla Nichols. "The new making of this new vaccine is a bivalent, meaning two versions of the vaccine, the original COVID strain and then there's another one for the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants. It's like a two variant strain, so it's going to cover better."
But, until they get the new one in, they aren't allowed to give the old one as boosters, but only as primary and secondary doses to those who have never had the COVID-19 vaccine before.
"The ACIP has not met yet and authorized the same thing that the FDA did," Nichols said. "The ACIP is meeting today for that authorization. For us, in the state of Kansas, KDHE cannot authorize the distribution of that bivalent yet, because the ACIP has not met yet."
Nichols anticipates that they will be able to order the new vaccine and get it shortly after the holiday.
"People that want their booster dose, we're not able to give that to them," Nichols said. "The good thing is, probably around Sept. 12, we should be getting a bivalent that's going to cover better for that booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine."
When the new dose comes in, you will only have had to have the original two doses to get the third one, once it is approved and available.