ATLANTA - Starting this week, Georgia residents can get the new bivalent COVID-19 booster provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Pfizer is the recommended booster for ages 12 and up. Moderna is recommended for adults ages 18 and up.
So which one should you get? FOX 5's Beth Galvin spoke to CVS Health Pharmacist Audrey Amolegbo on Tuesday. They laid out key things you should know about the new omicron booster shot.
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Omicron booster and flu shot, how to protect yourself this fall
FOX 5's Beth Galvin talks to CVS Health Pharmacist Audrey Amolegbo about what you need to know about the new omicron booster shot.
Georgia health officials recommends that people wait at least two months after their first vaccination or their last booster shot before opting in for this bivalent booster.
The difference between the original booster shot and this bivalent booster is in what they protect against. According to The Georgia DPH, the bivalent booster doses contain genetic recipes for two versions of COVID-19; both the original strain and the new omicron subvariants. The original booster only protects against the original strain of COVID-19.
Georgia is reportedly seeing 3,000 COVID-19 cases per week on average. More than 89% of those cases are said to be caused by the BA.5 Omicron variant.
As hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 continue to decrease across the state, officials still recommend wearing a mask, physically distancing, and washing your hands frequently with soap and water on top of getting vaccinated and boosted.