What to know about the updated COVID vaccines coming this fall

(NEW YORK) — As summer begins to wind down and many children and teenagers across the U.S. get ready to head back to school next month, it also means updated COVID-19 vaccines are around the corner.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Americans receive the updated 2024-25 vaccine when it becomes available later this year.

Health officials have used the term “updated vaccines” in anticipation of needing to formulate a new vaccine every year to match circulating variants as is done for the flu shot.

“Historically, when we’re talking about COVID vaccines, we’re talking about boosters that would happen at some time post your previous vaccine,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor.

“Now we’re targeting annual vaccines for COVID-19 that is similar to flu. It’s a reformulation based on what’s circulating, and this is why we’re talking about an annual campaign rather than a booster,” he continued.

Here’s what you need to know about the updated COVID vaccines:

What variants does it target?

The updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccines will target the JN.1 lineage of the virus, an offshoot of the omicron variant.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked manufacturers to formulate a vaccine that closely matches the KP.2 strain of JN.1.

Who is eligible?

The CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated vaccine.

Vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will be available for those 6 months old and older while the Novavax vaccine will be available for those aged 12 and older.

When will the vaccines be available?

Updated vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax will be available in either August or September.

The CDC has said that it is safe to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as a flu shot or an RSV vaccine, for those who are being eligible.

For those who decide to get multiple vaccines in one appointment, “we suggest probably using different [arms] so you don’t exacerbate tenderness at the injection site,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine and infectious disease specialists at University of California, San Francisco, told ABC News. “But essentially, you can get all three at the same time.”

Are the vaccines free?

Those who are covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance will receive coverage for the updated vaccines.

In previous years, the CDC had a Bridge Access Program that provided free COVID-19 vaccines to adults without health insurance and adults whose insurance does not cover all COVID-19 vaccine costs. The program is ending in August 2024.

“This year we won’t have the luxury of having the Bridge Program be a safety gap,” Chin-Hong said. “Those who have no insurance, which comprises millions of Americans, will have to be covered by different states’ safety net programs.”

For children whose parents or guardians cannot afford vaccine coverage for them, there is the federally funded Vaccines for Children Program, which provides access to vaccines.

Why should I receive a vaccine?

Data has shown that COVID-19 vaccines can reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death as well as lower the risk of developing long COVID.

A September 2023 analysis by the CDC suggested making the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation universal could prevent about 400,000 hospitalizations and 40,000 deaths over the next two years.

“We have to remember that this virus is constantly changing, and that your protection from previous infection or from previous vaccines declines over time,” Brownstein said. “Making sure that you receive the most updated formulations of vaccine will ensure that you have the most recent protection and we of course assumed that like previous years.”

He added that protection from the updated vaccines will likely last through the winter months, when cases typically increase and, as a result, hospitalizations and deaths increase as well.

Chin-Hong said it’s important for those who are at risk of serious disease and hospitalization to get vaccinated including those who are older and immunocompromised as well as those who live with high-risk individuals to prevent spread.