The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. The shots could be available in Oregon in the coming weeks.
Oregon, like the United States, is experiencing a late summer wave of COVID-19 activity, which follows a similar pattern from previous summers since the pandemic began.
And don’t forget – it’s also time for your annual flu vaccine, and vaccines for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are also available for older people, pregnant people and babies.
Additionally, the current measles outbreak in Oregon continues to grow. There are now 30 confirmed cases in Oregon—even more than the 28 cases reported in 2019, the most recent year with a significant number of measles cases in Oregon. (In 1991, there were 98 measles cases reported in Oregon.) OHA recommends every child be vaccinated against measles. This is especially important this year as they prepare to go back to school while measles is spreading in parts of Oregon. Students who are not vaccinated against measles may be excluded from school for three weeks if someone with measles attends their school—and longer if another case arises. Adults should also be vaccinated against the measles if they haven’t been already. Learn more about the measles vaccine here.
COVID-19 in Oregon
This week we reported a 14.9% test positivity rate for COVID-19. This indicates high community transmission in Oregon, based on data reported to health officials during the week ending Aug. 17.
“COVID-19 is still spreading in Oregon,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, OHA state health officer and state epidemiologist. “Data show the spread appears to be leveling off, so we hope to see cases coming down in the next several weeks. If you are at higher risk for complications, it’s still a good idea to lower your exposure by gathering outside, improving air flow inside, and consider wearing a mask when in crowded indoor settings. These same protections will work for anyone trying to reduce their risk of getting sick this summer.”
Regional and national COVID-19 data can be found here.
Over time, test percent positivity has proven to be an extremely accurate measure of COVID-19 community transmission, correlating with wastewater and hospitalization surveillance data that Oregon collects and reports weekly. Both tools can be found on OHA’s Respiratory Virus Data dashboard.
This summer’s COVID-19 transmission is largely driven by Omicron subvariants that continue to mutate into closely related offspring strains. Since the original Omicron variant first emerged in the fall of 2021, Omicron offshoots such as BA.5 and XBB.1.5 have become predominant in Oregon and across the country, and then subsequently replaced by other subvariants—all of which remain closely related within the Omicron family.
COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates in Oregon can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Given current COVID-19 trends in Oregon, the CDC predicts hospitalizations related to COVID-19 will level off and begin decreasing in the coming weeks.
The 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine
Updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season could be available in Oregon in the coming weeks. Today’s FDA approval applies only to the mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, while the non-mRNA vaccine developed by Novavax (for people ages 12 and older) has not yet been approved. We recommend always calling your provider or pharmacy in advance to confirm they have the vaccine you or your children need in stock.
Everyone ages 6 months and older should receive a 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine dose. It is an updated version that will provide strong protection against the COVID-19 virus strains currently circulating.
Vaccination remains the best way to protect against serious COVID-19 illness, and it also reduces the chance of suffering the effects of Long COVID.
When should I receive the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine?
Most people ages 6 months and older should get the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible after it becomes available.
If you have recently been sick with COVID-19 this summer, you may want to wait a bit because being infected with currently circulating strains will protect you much like the vaccine would, for about 90 days.
But if it’s been more than 90 days since you last had a COVID-19 infection, we recommend getting the new vaccine as soon as you can.
Influenza
The updated flu vaccine for the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season is now becoming available, and everyone ages 6 months and older, with rare exceptions, should receive it. It is safe and effective to receive the flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time.
RSV
RSV season usually begins in October, and RSV vaccines are available now.
Older people (age 60+):
The RSV vaccine is not currently an annual vaccine, meaning older adults do not need to get a dose every RSV season. If you have already gotten an RSV vaccine, you do not need to get another one at this time.
For older people who have not received the RSV vaccine in the past, everyone ages 75 and older should receive it. Adults ages 60-74 who may be at increased risk of severe RSV should discuss the vaccine with their health care provider. People at increased risk can include those with certain medical conditions, such as chronic lung or heart disease or weakened immune systems, and those living in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.
The RSV vaccine can be administered at any time during the year, but the best time is between August and October — just before RSV usually starts to spread in the community.
Learn more about the RSV vaccine for older people here.
Pregnant people and babies:
Certain pregnant people should get the maternal RSV vaccine to protect their newborn, because newborns are especially at risk of severe RSV. CDC recommends one dose of the vaccine be given to pregnant people when they are 32 – 36 weeks pregnant, between September and January.
If the timing of someone’s pregnancy does not meet that window of opportunity to receive the maternal RSV vaccine, an RSV antibody shot is recommended for newborns and some toddlers to protect them from severe RSV.
Learn more about the RSV vaccine to protect babies here.
Safety measures that protect us from respiratory viruses
- CDC’s Respiratory Virus Guidance provides detailed information on how to reduce the risk of all respiratory viruses.
- Get vaccinated against COVID-19, the flu. Some young infants, pregnant people and older people should also get vaccinated against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).
- Children and adults should be vaccinated against the measles.
- Stay home if you are sick – until you are feeling better.
- Cover your coughs and wash your hands often.
- For those at increased risk of severe disease or who live with someone who is at higher risk for severe disease, OHA recommends considering masking indoors when respiratory virus transmission is significant, as it is now.
- Plan ahead. Anyone at increased risk for complications from respiratory illnesses should have a conversation with their health care provider about how to proceed should they become sick. Symptoms for COVID-19 and influenza are similar, and while at-home tests can confirm a COVID-19 infection, a health care provider must diagnose the flu. There are antiviral medications for COVID and flu infections that can reduce the risk of severe illness.