September 13, 2023 4:00 a.m.

People in Oregon could start receiving the nation’s newest COVID-19 vaccines as soon as next week after a federal advisory body endorsed the updated shots for everyone 6 months and older, on Tuesday.

An update from the Oregon Health Authority said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice’s decision to recommend the updated mRNA vaccines comes a day after they were authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. OHA said studies show the vaccines, formulated to target currently circulating variants, induce antibodies against a wide variety of COVID-19 viral variants and are expected to improve protection against serious consequences of COVID-19 infection, including hospitalization and death.

According to the CDC, the vaccines have been updated to include a monovalent component that corresponds to the Omicron variant XBB 1.5 and related subvariants. They are approved for individuals 12 years and older and authorized under emergency use for individuals 6 months through 11 years old.

Dr. Paul Cieslak, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA’s Public Health Division, said arrival of the updated monovalent COVID-19 vaccines – made by Moderna TX Inc. and Phizer Inc. – represents a pivotal moment in Oregon’s COVID-19 response.

Cieslak said, “They are the first updated vaccines approved after the federal public health emergency ended in May, and the first updated vaccines available on the commercial market”. Cieslak said, “This means we’ve taken a big step toward normalizing COVID-19 as something we live with and manage much as we do for influenza”.

More information is available from OHA: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/pages/index.aspx