People across the country can now get COVID-19 and flu shots at their local pharmacy.
Walgreens and CVS are two of the major retailers now offering the vaccines. The companies are accepting appointments on their websites for those wishing to get vaccinated.
“Preventive vaccinations are the best way to protect yourself and your family from seasonal illnesses,” said Dr. Sree Chaguturu, executive vice president and chief medical officer of CVS Health. “Access to preventive vaccinations is critical to keeping our communities healthy. With thousands of CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations across the country, it’s easy to find and get a vaccination.”
Kroger, the nation's largest chain of grocery stores, also has COVID-19 and flu shots available, in addition to RSV vaccinations. As well as appointments, Kroger said it will accept walk-ins.
"These illnesses can result in poor health, missed work, extra medical bills or even prevent an adult from being able to care for their family," said Dr. Marc Watkins, chief medical officer of Kroger Health. "We understand that people lead busy lives. That's why we've made it as easy as possible to get vaccinated at our stores. Customers can get their groceries and their vaccine(s) in one trip, saving them time and helping them be protected."
Rite Aid also began offering new COVID-19 shots this week after starting to offer updated flu and RSV shots at the start of the month.
The vaccines were made available after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their release last week amid a summer spike in cases. Instead of COVID-19 cases bottoming out in the summer, they have been on the rise this year.
Who should get vaccinated?
Here is the general guidance from the Centers for Disesae Control and Prvention on who should get which shot:
COVID-19: Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine. ·
Influenza: Everyone 6 months of age and older is recommended to get an annual influenza vaccine.
RSV: Everyone ages 75 and older and adults ages 60-74 at increased risk of severe RSV, such as those with chronic heart or lung disease, certain other chronic medical conditions, and those who are residents of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. Also infants and toddlers up to 24 months old.
Those who are 32-36 pregnant between the months of September and January can also get vaccinated to pass antibodies onto their newborn.
What is different about this COVID-19 vaccine?
The FDA said that fall 2024 COVID-19 vaccines will target the KP.2 variant of the virus, which is a descendant of the JN.1 variant that widely circulated throughout the U.S. during the winter.
"This change is intended to ensure that the COVID-19 vaccines (2024-2025 Formula) more closely match circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains." the FDA said.
Over the summer KP.3 and its descendants became the most prevalent strain of the virus. KP.3 and a descendant variant now account for over half of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Like KP.2, KP.3 also mutated from the JN.1 variant.
RELATED STORY | New study shows how common long COVID symptoms are for children
KP.2 and KP.3 are known as FLiRT variants, because of their specific positions in the spike protein. Experts say these variants aren't more or less severe than previous variants, but more people have antibodies through vaccines and prior infection to better fight off an infection.
But as COVID-19 mutates, the body loses its ability to fight off the virus without vaccination or prior infection, experts say.
Is now the right time to get a COVID-19 shot?
Andy Pekosz, a professor in molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins, said there are several options for those considering getting an updated COVID-19 shot.
"People who have not had COVID in the past few months have a couple options," he said, "get the updated COVID vaccine as soon as it’s available to protect yourself as the wave of summer infections continues [or] get the updated COVID vaccine around mid-October to build protection in time for the rise of cases that typically occur around November through January."
There are several factors that someone should weigh before deciding on the timing of a COVID-19 shot.
"People at higher risk of severe illness should consider getting an updated COVID vaccine as soon as possible," he said. "Everyone who is eligible should get an updated COVID vaccine by mid-October in order to build immunity ahead of holiday travel and gatherings. Remember, it takes about two weeks to build up immunity following a vaccine, so schedule your vaccination accordingly."
RELATED STORY | Free COVID tests to be made available as experts anticipate winter surge