What Is The Bivalent Vaccine?
On September 1st, the CDC authorized the newest COVID-19 vaccine, with the goal of fending off a surge in cases this fall and winter.
Moderna and Pfizer both have new bivalent vaccines that target the original strain of coronavirus and omicron subvariants (including the highly contagious BA.4 and BA.5), which have been rapidly spreading throughout the world for the last few months.
Those ages 12 and up are eligible for the updated Pfizer booster, while those who are 18 and up are eligible for Moderna’s updated booster.
The anticipated side effects of the new bivalent vaccine are what you would expect to occur after previous vaccinations.
Those include, but are not limited to:
headache
fatigue
soreness/redness at the injection site
Fever
Chills
Muscle pain
Most vaccines will have some degree of minor side effects. It is, in fact, the body’s immune and inflammatory response to the vaccine.
Side effects generally last for no more than 3-4 days, so if you wish to ease any discomfort you may have, you can take a pain reliever like Tylenol to combat them.
If the symptoms that you are experiencing are causing you overwhelming pain or discomfort, you should contact your health care provider immediately. Adverse reactions are very rare however, and occur in a few cases per million.
Most severe reactions happen within 15 minutes of shot administration, which is why you’ll be asked to wait for 15 or 30 minutes after your booster so medical staff can monitor you.
The most recent COVID sub-variants are more contagious than ever and are only expected to grow more transmissible as the virus continues to mutate. In order to decrease transmission rates in your community and keep yourself and those around you safe, get the bivalent vaccine at one of the following locations…
Your healthcare provider’s office
A local pharmacy
Walk-in clinics by local health offices or EMS
At one of our BIPOC COVID-19 vaccination clinics