COVID-19 Is Still with Us, but Updated Vaccines Will Help to Prevent Serious Illness This Fall

On August 22, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the recently updated mRNA vaccines for adults and children 12 and older and granted emergency use authorization for children ages 6 months to 11 years. The updated vaccines include a component that targets the currently circulating variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The FDA’s announcement comes just in time for fall, when respiratory viruses tend to cause greater numbers of infections than they do during the warmer months.

The updated Moderna vaccine (Spikevax) and the Pfizer-BioNTech version (Comirnaty) are recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for use in adults and children 6 months and up. They’ll take aim at the KP.2 strain, a recent Omicron variant. That’s the one that has been driving the uptick in COVID cases this summer.

Read on for answers to your FAQs on all things related to COVID and the new vaccines, thanks to Dr. Roy Gulick, Rochelle Belfer Professor in Medicine and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Attending Physician at New York-Presbyterian.

How much of an uptick in COVID cases has there been this summer?

Currently, the U.S. has been experiencing an increased number of COVID cases, with 25 states reporting an increase, including California as well as states in the South, the Midwest and New England. New York is actually among the states seeing a decline, Dr. Gulick says.

Is the current bump a harbinger of a bigger surge in the fall and winter?

Typically, he says, “Respiratory viral infections like colds and the flu occur more frequently in the fall and winter, as people tend to gather indoors. That makes it easier for the viruses to spread."

“However,” he continues, “COVID-19 hasn’t become a seasonal disease—at least not yet—and we’ve seen summer surges in the past. We’re still learning whether it will behave predictably in the future.”

Do the currently circulating variants make the virus more or less infectious? More or less severe?

We continue to see the emergence of a long line of Omicron variants. However, Dr. Gulick explains, there’s no evidence that these are more infectious than prior variants. What’s more, people who develop COVID-19 from currently circulating variants don’t appear to have more severe disease or higher rates of hospitalization.

Have you seen a change in symptoms?

The symptoms of COVID-19 haven’t changed. The most common ones are cough, fever, sore throat and muscle aches.

What should I do if I get sick due to COVID?

Most people with symptomatic COVID-19 get better with symptomatic treatment alone, including rest, extra fluids, and over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) . However, he says, if you’re pregnant or over 50—or you have one or more chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease—“consult with your provider about taking an antiviral drug to reduce your risk of progression to severe disease.”

The antivirals that have been shown to be effective in treating COVID are nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) and the intravenous drug remdesivir (Verklury).

What is the role of testing at this stage?

If you have respiratory symptoms, getting tested for COVID makes sense. It’s also important. If you test positive, avoiding transmission to others is key, he says. “Current CDC recommendations are for people in the community with COVID to isolate for 5 days. If you’re feeling better after that, wear a mask for the next 5 days to avoid transmission to others.”

What’s the update on long COVID?

The short answer is that long COVID appears to have been declining with the emergence of Omicron variants of the virus, as well as repeat infections and vaccinations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), long COVID occurs more often in people who have had severe COVID-19 illness compared to those who have had milder versions of the disease, but anyone who gets COVID can experience it, including children.

Vaccination still offers the best protection against long COVID.

Research is underway to gain a better understanding of long COVID and other post-acute infection syndromes, such as chronic fatigue syndrome and post-treatment Lyme disease, which have affected and even disabled many people in the U.S. and worldwide.

Who is eligible for the updated vaccines?

The CDC recommends that everyone over 6 months of age receive the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

The updated mRNA COVID vaccines—Comirnaty and Spikevax—have both been approved by the FDA for people 12 years old and up. As well, both have been authorized for emergency use in children from 6 months through 11 years of age.

If you’re experiencing respiratory symptoms, or if you’d like to make an appointment to receive an updated COVID or flu vaccine, get in touch with your doctor.