Updated vaccine to protect against COVID-19 variants
UT Health RGV, Cameron and Hidalgo counties are offering doses of the bivalent booster vaccine, which protect against the coronavirus and the omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently authorized the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as a single dose at least two months after the primary vaccines.
Individuals six years of age and older can get the Moderna bivalent booster vaccine and individuals five years of age and older can get the Pfizer bivalent vaccine as a single dose.
“If you give the vaccination too soon, then the thought process is that you’re going to neutralize that antigen,” said Ivan Melendez, the Hidalgo County health authority. “Let’s remember that the goal is to increase the count of antibodies that you have against [COVID-19]. So the idea, if you give it too soon, actually won’t work because your own antibodies that you already have there, either to previous boosters or previous disease, would neutralize it.”
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people to get the bivalent vaccine at least two months after their last COVID-19 vaccine dose, Melendez recommends four months.
He said Hidalgo County has received 500 doses of the Moderna and 500 of the Pfizer bivalent vaccines.
“So we had a good response,” Melendez said. “And, so, we received our 1,000 vaccinations initially, are expecting more, and we’ve had a good response in people wanting it.”
Esmeralda Guajardo, Cameron County health administrator, said the county has seen numbers spike in COVID-19 cases in the last year.
“People that were getting COVID two years ago … they’re now getting it again … because the omicron is so strong,” Guajardo said. “It’s one of those very infectious strains, and so that requires some sort of protection against it. And, so, this new vaccine allows a form of protection against it. So, hopefully, this will decrease the number of cases that we’re seeing here in Cameron County.”
She said the county received 2,100 doses of the bivalent Pfizer vaccine and 2,000 of the Moderna.
“We’re making it available at our clinics at no cost and anyone can come into our doors to get it,” Guajardo said. “I know we had a vaccine drive this past week at the flea market, and we had a substantial number of people. I’m going to say over 160 people [took] advantage of [the] vaccine, so, you know, that’s a great number.”
She said the county is trying to make the vaccine available to people by removing all barriers, including cost or location.
“We don’t know what’s gonna happen in the future in terms of costs and the vaccines,” Guajardo said. “You know, whether the funding for this is going to start slowing down, but people need to take advantage of it while it’s available at no cost to them.”
Melendez said college students should keep three things in mind when it comes to COVID-19.
“One, you may not be in the highest-risk group, but people like you have had big trouble,” he said. “No. 2, you can serve as a source of infection for those who are high-risk groups and three, people look up to you as a source of knowledge and will emulate your behavior. And so I strongly encourage you to get vaccinated.”
Jose Campo Maldonado, a UTRGV assistant professor of medicine and board-certified infectious disease specialist, said there is a quiz on the CDC website where individuals can find out if they are eligible for the bivalent booster vaccine.
“Let’s not play with this,” Maldonado said. “Even though we’re not experiencing what we were experiencing before … we are just starting to understand the long-term impact [on] people [who had COVID-19]. Not getting into a hospital doesn’t exclude that you can get so many other symptoms that can last and impact your life for a very long time. So I will say I try to get the maximum protection. Make sure you are just up [to date with vaccines].”
To make an appointment, call 833-888-2268.
