The updated bivalent booster is specifically designed to combat the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variants and offers better protection against COVID-19 now that omicron variants are the most widely circulating strains. Learn more about regional variant proportions here.
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is encouraging all eligible people to get the bivalent booster to increase their protection against COVID-19 and decrease their risk of Long COVID. In a recent vaccine partner newsletter, DOH explained, “The updated bivalent booster is tremendously beneficial as it exposes the body to new versions of the virus, creating more antibodies, and helping protect against future variants.”
To learn more about the risks associated with Long COVID, visit the DOH Long COVID webpage. For more information about the bivalent booster, consult Yale Medicine’s The Omicron Booster: Your Questions Answered or What to know about the new COVID-19 booster shots from UC Davis Health.
Providers consulting patients about bivalent booster uptake may benefit from guidance shared in last week’s community partner newsletter. Access last week’s update here.