You get a new booster, and you get a new booster

Spoiler alert: the CDC is recommending basically everybody get a COVID booster this fall. That’s a good thing! There’s also a program to pay for shots for people with no or inadequate health insurance. That’s an even better thing!

With the highlights out of the way, let’s get into the weeds a little. As anticipated, the FDA has approved a new round of booster vaccines against COVID. At least, they’ve endorsed two of the three possibilities: Moderna and Pfizer. Booster doses of those two vaccines could be available as early as the end of this week.

However, the FDA did not give the green light to Novavax, the only non-mRNA vaccine available in the U.S. That’s been held up for undisclosed reasons, though it’s expected to be available before too long.

This is great news, but what does it mean for you, and for the church? To answer that, we have to look at who can get the shots, and who should get the shots.

So, uh, let’s do that?

The short answer is: everybody over the age of 6 months. The fuller answer is:

There’s a range of opinions on when to get these shots. Medical experts say anywhere from two to six months after the last dose or infection.

But one thing is clear. Until December 2024, vaccines will be available to everyone regardless of cost. A CDC bridge program will cover for people without insurance, or whose insurance doesn’t provide free COVID vaccines. (Distressingly, that could be 25-30 million people.)

Short answer again is: everyone over the age of 6 months!

A CDC panel met yesterday to consider recommendations for the new boosters. I had anticipated that they would only suggest it for folks who are 65+, immunocompromised or with other health problems. But in a surprise (for me) move, they went with the broadest recommendation.

As Katelyn Jetelina points out, that’s good news on several fronts. Obviously, it should lead to more vaccinations and hopefully therefore more lives saved. In particular, it should lead to increased uptake among vulnerable populations. The broad recommendation also means insurance companies have to cover shots for everyone. And it promotes equity for people without a physician.

I’m partial to the “everyone get boosted” side of things. That won’t come as a surprise, but hear me out. For one thing, although experts predict that we’ll have relatively normal flu and RSV seasons, there is still a possibility of a “tripledemic.”

And there are some good reasons to encourage widespread vaccination specifically in faith communities:

The data are mixed on how much of a concern COVID should be in the Badger state this fall and winter.

Let’s take the good news first. Total hospitalizations for COVID are below 10.0 per 100k residents everywhere in the state. ICU admissions have been essentially flat since June. At least for now, our region is at the low end of the scale for positive test results. And according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Wisconsin health care system is actually doing pretty well.

The bad news is less straight-up “bad” than “not great.” While hospitalizations are low across the state, that’s not evenly distributed. They’re going up in some places, down in some places, and staying steady in some. Wisconsin has a relatively high rate of booster uptake compared to other states. But in most counties, it’s still less than 25%. To make matters worse, adult vaccinations are higher, but there’s a steep dropoff for kids. Meanwhile, COVID detection in wastewater is increasing. Nearly 8 in 10 plants showing high or very high levels.

Overall, I’d put Wisconsin somewhere between “reason for cautious optimism” and “don’t sleep on COVID.” Things look good for the moment, but they’re probably going to get worse, but we don’t know by how much. Not a lot, let’s hope. But as it happens, we have a safe and effective way to improve those odds. Think about getting a COVID booster this fall or winter, flu or RSV too.