An exterior view of Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, Ind., pictured, Tuesday, March 31, 2020. Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Local health officials are expecting to receive doses of updated COVID-19 vaccines targeting a newer strain of the Omicron variant sometime this fall, though they are still unsure when they will be available or how many doses they will receive.
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects new COVID-19 vaccines targeting the Omicron variant XBB.1.5 to become available at some point this fall but there is no timetable yet for when federal regulators will review the shots and decide whether to authorize and recommend them.
In June, an FDA advisory committee met and recommended that COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers develop new vaccines against XBB.1.5 by this fall. Vaccine makers, including Pfizer and Moderna, said earlier this month in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that they had submitted regulatory applications with the FDA for their updated COVID-19 vaccines.
A spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Health told The Republic that they are expecting the new vaccines to be available in September. The updated shots would represent a change from the vaccines available today, which contain a mix of the original coronavirus strain with last year’s most common omicron variants.
Columbus Regional Health, for its part, currently expects to receive the updated vaccines when they become available but have not yet received word on when that might be, said CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
“We’re still waiting on more information,” DeClue said. “…Overall, just like we have throughout the whole process, we will have the most current vaccine available.”
The Bartholomew County Health Department also plans to receive doses of the new shots sometime this fall, said Amanda Organist, the department’s director of nursing.
“I am not sure how it will be distributed dose-wise with the state, if they will have allocations or we can order what we want,” Organist said.. “I have not heard of a date that we will be able to order/receive any doses. I’ve been told sometime in the fall.”
‘Little spike’ in cases
The updated shots come as CRH has started seeing COVID-19 hospitalizations for the first time in weeks and as vaccinations against the virus in Columbus and surrounding area have dwindled in recent months.
Two weeks ago, CRH officials said the hospital had started seeing COVID-19 hospitalizations amid a “little spike” in cases of the virus in the Columbus area.
That spike continued this past week, with two people hospitalized with COVID-19 infections each day from Monday to Wednesday, the hospital said. All of those patients were listed in stable condition.
Additionally, CRH officials have “definitely seen an increase” in the number of people going to doctor’s offices seeking treatment for possible COVID-19 infections or symptoms consistent with the virus.
“We have seen a rise both in inpatient and outpatient (visits) for COVID already, so I think the timing (for the new vaccine) is very prudent,” DeClue said. “…Fairly low or no hospitalization numbers doesn’t mean it’s not circulating. We’re definitely seeing it circulating out there.”
Low uptake
At the same time, few people in the Columbus area are up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the Indiana Department of Health’s COVID-19 vaccine dashboard, which was current as of Aug. 1.
While most people in the Columbus area received their initial doses of the vaccines, just a fraction of them have kept up to date with booster shots.
A total of 66.2% of the 26,807 people who live in the 47203 zip code, which covers parts of northern and eastern Columbus, completed their primary series of a two-dose vaccine or a single-dose vaccine, state records show. However, just 22.6% of those people were up to date on their booster shots as of Aug. 1.
In the 47201 zip code, which covers much of the western half of Bartholomew County and parts of Brown County, 65.3% of 44,831 people completed their initial vaccine series, but just 19.2% were up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines as of Aug. 1.
That suggests that at least some 56,971 people in those two zip codes were not up to date on their COVID-19 shots as of the beginning of this month, including some 10,616 people who never finished their initial vaccine series.
The Indiana Department of Health defines “up to date” as having completed the CDC’s most recent recommended vaccine schedule, which can vary depending on a person’s age, the vaccine they first received and the time since their last dose.
CRH officials, for their part, said they are concerned about the number of people who are not up to date on their vaccines and said the low uptake in boosters over the past several months likely has contributed to the increase in illness and hospitalizations that they are seeing now.
They also said that the updated vaccine will be “even more important” as the colder months set in and other respiratory viruses like the flu and RSV start circulating once again.
“We know that a lot of people are probably not up to date on their COVID vaccines,” DeClue said. “I think that kind of went by the wayside when things were lower and circulation was lower and people let their guard down. …I do think that is a contributing factor to why we’re seeing this little bit of a surge right now. It’s catching people off guard.”
For now, CRH officials are encouraging people to consult their records to see if it is time for them to get a booster shot and contact their healthcare providers for questions about the updated vaccines that are expected to come out this fall.
To learn more
For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html.
