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With the approaching winter season, it’s perfect timing to visit the current senior COVID-19 vaccine options. Here’s your “Need-to-Know” Covid-19 Vaccine information for 2023-2024:
Similar to the flu vaccine, the new COVID XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccine is universally recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Although not expected to prevent all cases of COVID, the aim is less intense illness and hospitalizations. Vaccination is recommended spaced at least two months from any prior COVID vaccine, and administered in the fall to extend maximum immunity through the winter months.
The bivalent Omicron boosters are no longer available. Administration of one of the new COVID vaccines is generally all you need to be considered up-to-date, even if you’ve never had a previous COVID vaccine or booster. The 2023-2024 vaccines are Medicare-covered and include Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, both mRNA technology vaccines, and Novavax, a traditional protein-based formulation. Novavax, the only Non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine available in the U.S., was FDA-approved just this past October as a comparable alternative to the mRNA formulations. The current 2023-24 Novavax vaccine requires one dose if previously vaccinated and two separate doses for individuals never before COVID-19 vaccinated. The Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine is no longer available in the U.S. and may be replaced by any of the three above options.
Important: Anyone with a weakened immune system or chronic conditions such as COPD, heart disease and diabetes, should seek individualized guidance from their doctor regarding the benefit of additional doses of any of the currently approved vaccines.
Although COVID cases have become less common, we know that people age 65 and older, especially age 75 and beyond, are most at risk of severe COVID disease outcomes, including hospitalization and death. Waning immunity from former boosters and past COVID infections as well as passing Covid along to your family and vulnerable others are logical and far-sighted reasons to avail yourself of one of the current vaccines. If COVID booster fatigue or apprehension is an issue for you, speak to your healthcare provider for further counsel.
New Info -If you’ve recently had COVID, you no longer need to wait several months post-infection to get the new vaccine, especially for high-risk and older recipients. Check with your doctor for the optimal timing of your post-Covid infection vaccine.
Although the virus continues to mutate, the current vaccine recipe appears to be a good match against circulating and emerging COVID strains, with protection starting about two weeks after the shot. Maximum immunity is found to occur within the first 3 months following injection. Although a final consensus is pending, there is growing evidence that the COVID vaccine may offer protection from the disabling symptoms of Long COVID. The future hope is that COVID vaccine immunity will eventually last about a year and be offered on an annual basis along with the flu shot.
Should you get more than one vaccine at a time? Studies show that two or even three vaccines taken at the same time does not lessen the potency of each individual vaccine. Our immune systems are designed to simultaneously react to and sort out millions of different invasive germs allowing for the convenient co-administration of multiple vaccines such as COVID-19, flu, and shingles. Two notable exceptions are the mpox (monkeypox) live vaccine which should be spaced apart from other vaccines by four weeks. And, since this is the first season for the new RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine, eligible recipients may prudently space out its administration by two weeks from all other vaccines pending more experienced guidelines in the future. Vaccination in one or both arms is a personal choice, as is the separation or bundling of most vaccines.
TIP: Those with a history of particularly uncomfortable or strong vaccine reactions may opt to individually space out each of their seasonal vaccines instead of getting two or three together.
Currently, all three vaccines appear to be equally effective, although after four years of COVID, multiple mutations, and inconsistent vaccination schedules, distinguishing true vaccine effectiveness from natural immunity, and comparing one COVID vaccine to another, has become largely unverifiable. That said, the benefits of vaccination continue to outweigh the risks of developing a COVID-19 infection.
COVID vaccine side effects appear to be similar to the previous COVID vaccines with a sore arm as the most common effect. Serious allergic vaccine reactions such as anaphylactic shock are fortunately rare and occur in 1 or 2 people per one million doses. With the available mRNA formulations, and less prevalent with protein-based Novavax, there is a rare but serious risk of heart inflammation. Although improvement often occurs on its own without treatment, this side effect has necessitated an FDA warning, particularly for male adolescents and young adults. It is important to note that a COVID infection can also lead to the same heart results with one study showing heart inflammation up to 5.6 times higher from COVID infections than from the vaccine.
Pain and swelling at the injection site from both the mRNA and traditional protein vaccinations can be eased with an ice pack. Systemic effects for all three formulations entail headache, muscle pain, fever, and nausea which should subside in a few days and treated with NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents) such as ibuprofen or aspirin, or acetaminophen (Tylenol and generics), as directed by your healthcare provider. Post-vaccine fatigue should respond to a few days of rest.
For each vaccine, contraindications include a severe reaction to any of its components. Individual vaccine ingredients may be found at the FDA website https://www.fda.gov on their US Package Insert page and Vaccine Fact Sheet link.
As the current COVID-19 vaccines are increasingly administered to the public, associated data and recommendations are expected to evolve. This real-world phenomenon has been referred to as a ‘moving target’ of knowledge. As always, access the CDC and WHO websites and your healthcare provider for the latest, most accurate COVID-19 information.
This article was provided by Judi Shor, PharmD, ACP, CMC, Certified Care Manager, owner of Successful Aging Senior Care Management. Dr. Shor and her practice are Members of the ElderCare Matters Alliance and have a Featured Listing on ElderCareMatters.com– America’s National Directory of Elder Care / Senior Care Resources to help families plan for and deal with the issues of Aging. She can be reached at ShorCare@gmail.com.
If you have additional questions about your family’s Elder Care / Senior Care Matters, you can count on ElderCareMatters.com (America’s National Directory of Elder Care / Senior Care Resources) to help you find America’s Top Elder Care / Senior Care Professionals. You can find Local Elder Care / Senior Care Experts by Searching our National Database by City and Service Category. (This Search feature is located on the homepage of ElderCareMatters.com).
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