New COVID Boosters Arrive In Washington: Here's How To Get One

SEATTLE — State and local health jurisdictions are preparing to roll out updated COVID-19 booster shots this week, designed to better protect residents from the most commonly circulating omicron variants of the virus.

The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization for Pfizer and Moderna's new boosters last week, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on broader eligibility for the updated shots.

The new boosters are "bivalent," utilizing many of the vaccine components to combat the original virus and making slight changes to the spike protein to target the contagious BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants.

Here's who can receive updated COVID-19 boosters, starting this week:

• People ages 12 – 17 who have completed a primary vaccine series can receive the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster at least two months after their most recent dose.
• People 18 and older who have completed a primary vaccine series can receive either company’s bivalent booster at least two months after their most recent dose.
• Those ages 5 – 11 who have completed Pfizer-BioNTech’s primary vaccine series should continue to receive the company’s original monovalent booster at least 5 months after their most recent dose.
• Children ages 6 months – 4 years are currently not authorized for any COVID-19 booster doses.

Public health leaders hope providing more effective boosters and making them widely available will help reduce the chance of another significant COVID-19 wave in the fall and winter months, while other seasonal respiratory viruses are also circulating.

"Having updated booster vaccines authorized and available now gives us the opportunity to prevent many infections, hospitalizations and deaths," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for King County. "Both now, as COVID-19 continues to spread locally, and to provide a higher level of protection during this fall and winter when transmission may increase."

During a news briefing Tuesday, Duchin said the most recent, omicron-fueled surge in COVID-19 activity plateaued in late May and has kept up a steady decline since mid-July. Over the last month, metrics have decreased across age groups, bringing Washington's most populous county back into the CDC's "low community level" range.

COVID-related hospitalizations are down roughly 50 percent and deaths have declined, too. However, Duchin noted cases confirmed through PCR tests likely represent just a fraction of actual infections, due to more people relying on at-home tests.

"Although we're trending down, there are still likely a few thousand new COVID-19 cases occurring in King County each day," he said. "Nonetheless, this likely represents a significant decrease from recent peaks."

With the colder months fast approaching, and more spending more time inside, public health officials hope the boosters, along with other long-recommended precautions, will help reduce opportunities for the virus to spread in the coming months.

Although the vast majority of King County residents have completed their initial vaccination series, just over half have received a booster shot.

"The COVID-19 pandemic may be evolving, with fewer large surges and lower but substantial numbers of hospitalizations and deaths," Duchin said. "We need to be prepared for the possibility of increasing COVID-19 activity as we enter fall and winter and understand the long-term importance of sustained, layered strategies to prevent COVID-19 — a disease that is not going to disappear."

Appointments for the new boosters may be available as soon as Friday for some, and Washington expects nearly 200,000 doses will be arriving in the state through this week, with many more to follow.

Public Health - Seattle & King County expects 92,000 doses to arrive this week and next, which will be delivered to county-run sites, local pharmacies and other health care providers across the region. King County's vaccination site at Auburn's Outlet Collection plans to offer the new boosters Friday and will accept walk-ins.

On the Eastside, Duchins said the Eastgate clinic will take appointments starting Sept. 12. Residents can also check with their health care providers and nearest pharmacies for appointments as soon as this weekend. Since allocations will be limited in the first few weeks, health officials expect demand will exceed availability in the first few weeks.

Residents can search for appointments using the state's Vaccine Locator tool, visiting King County's vaccination hub, or calling 1-800-525-0127.