Vaccine Team

The new booster is becoming available in North Carolina following the FDA's emergency use authorization and the CDC’s recommendation.

The booster is a combination of the old vaccine and a new one aimed at the new, more contagious Omicron subvariant BA.5.

Reinfection is the main concern for the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron. BA.5 can avoid vaccines but also immunities from past infections. Studies show people who have had COVID-19 twice are at a higher risk for complications and hospitalization.

Health officials said the best protection against severe illness is vaccines and booster shots.

The doses for this age group are much smaller than those for other age groups.

Only about 4% of N.C. children 5 to 11 years old are fully vaccinated, and of those about 5% have gotten a booster.