The FDA approved the latest COVID-19 vaccines as another variant is on the rise this fall.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – It’s the first time this year that updated COVID-19 vaccines have been released.
The Bay Area Neighborhood Council held the free vaccine event in Springfield Friday afternoon. Those interested were able to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine or flu shot and listen to a presentation by Dr. Wilmore Webley.
“For people who have underlying conditions, people who have heart disease, diabetes, people who are overweight or have any other underlying condition that reduces your immune response these are excellent vaccines to get,” says Dr. Wilmore Webley.
Last year only 23% of Americans got an updated COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC. They recommend those six months and older get an updated flu and COVID-19 vaccine every year.
If you have had COVID-19 recently, you can wait two or three months to get the updated vaccine. Experts say the updated Pfizer and Moderna vaccines target a new strain of the coronavirus, KP.2. While the Novavax vaccine targets its parent strain, JN.1.
State Rep. Bud Williams, along with the Bay Area Neighborhood Council plan to host more free COVID-19 vaccine events next month. For more information email, bayareaneighborhoodcouncil1@gmail.com.
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