Now that this year’s editions of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), you may be asking yourself: Why should I get this fresh version of the vaccine? Should I get vaccinated right away or wait a while? Do I get a flu or RSV vaccination as well? Where can I get vaccinated?

We’ve worked with the experts at the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps to prepare this overview to help you answer those questions. We will be providing more information during the coming weeks as COVID vaccination availability proceeds.

Why get vaccinated?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older receive the updated COVID vaccine. Why? Because the vaccine helps prevent severe infections, hospitalization, and death.

The CDC says that those who received last year’s COVID vaccine were 54% less likely to get COVID during a four-month study period from September to January. (Visit tinyurl.com/VaxEffctv to learn more). CDC research also shows that vaccination helps prevent long COVID, reducing the risk by about half. (Visit tinyurl.com/LongCVDstudy for more information on that research.)

The CDC recommendation to get the latest vaccine includes people who have previously been vaccinated or had COVID. That’s because the COVID virus changes constantly, and the new vaccine targets more recent variants that can dodge the protection you gained through earlier vaccines or previous infections. Also, over time, natural and vaccine-induced protection fades.

Now or later?

The choice of when to get vaccinated depends on your needs. It’s a personal choice that you may want to discuss with your doctor or other health provider.

Most people will want to wait until October or even early November to get the new COVID vaccination, especially if you plan to get your flu shot at the same time as your COVID vaccination. Vaccine protection fades over time, and October would put you in a sweet spot for having the strongest possible protection as we enter the usual winter surge of COVID and the beginning of flu season.

But if you recently had COVID, your natural immunity is already boosted. To extend your overall protection, wait at least three and up to six months before getting vaccinated.

Choosing to get vaccinated earlier comes with the tradeoff that your immunity will be reduced earlier this winter, when we may experience another surge of COVID infections. However, there are some reasons why you may choose to get vaccinated now:

• COVID infection rates are fairly high right now during the summer surge, and the vaccine could help protect you during this period of increased exposure to people infected with COVID.

• High infection rates can be a particularly important consideration if you are 65 or older, or if your immune system has been weakened by chemotherapy, a chronic health condition, or other factors.

• You might be planning a trip or some other event soon where you could be exposed to COVID. Early vaccination would help protect you during a period of potential increased exposure.

• You might prefer to wait for the Novavax vaccine, which is expected to be approved soon. It takes longer to update the Novavax vaccine because it is a traditional protein vaccine, unlike the mRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

What about flu and RSV vaccines?

It’s no problem to get COVID and flu vaccinations simultaneously. They work just as well whether administered together or separately. It’s a big convenience for most people, because it saves making two visits to your doctor or pharmacy.

As reported in VashonBePrepared a few weeks ago, there’s good news about the RSV vaccine. If you received the RSV vaccination last year, the CDC says there’s no need to get another RSV vaccination this year. The protection lasts at least two years.

If you have not yet received the RSV vaccination, the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps urges that it be given to all adults 75 or older. People aged 60 to 74 years old who are at increased risk of this serious respiratory infection should also get the RSV vaccination. Talk to your healthcare provider for advice that is specific to you.

RSV vaccination is also recommended for pregnant women (it will protect their newborns), and it is recommended that infants less than 8 months old receive an RSV antibody injection (nirsevimab) if their mother is not immunized.

Where to go?

The 2024 COVID vaccine will be widely available at the usual locations. There’s no sign of shortages that have hindered vaccination in past years.

Vashon Pharmacy will begin high-volume vaccination clinics on Wednesday, October 2. COVID, flu, and RSV vaccines will be available.

With support from volunteers at Vashon Medical Reserve Corps and VashonBePrepared, the vaccination program will run for six weeks. Vaccinations will take place in the pharmacy’s new clinical services area, which will provide more space and privacy.

Stay tuned for more details as the time approaches for the pharmacy to open up appointments on its website: vashonpharmacy.com/covid-vaccine.

In most cases, if you have health insurance, vaccines will be provided at no cost to you, and Vashon Pharmacy will submit any required paperwork. If you do not have health insurance, VashonBePrepared expects to reimburse Vashon Pharmacy for flu and a limited number of COVID vaccinations, using funding provided by generous community donors.

Availability of no-cost COVID vaccinations funded by government programs will be announced in a future edition of VashonBePrepared once details are known.