October: time for muddy soccer practices, cider pressing and Halloweentown.
And time to roll up your sleeves.
Reformulated flu and COVID-19 shots are available to Oregonians starting this month. And an RSV vaccine — developed only last year — could have an unprecedented impact keeping infants out of the hospital this fall and winter.
State and county health officials briefed reporters Thursday as part of a new federal campaign to increase vaccination rates.
Here’s who should get the shots, and why, according to health officials.
Related: FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines, shots should be available in Oregon in 1-3 weeks
RSV
RSV is a common virus that typically spreads in the fall and winter.
It causes mild cold symptoms in children and adults. In the youngest infants without any immunity, though, it’s the leading cause of hospitalization in the United States. In any given year, up to 2-3% of all infants under 6 months old are hospitalized due to RSV complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. And researchers have found some evidence an early RSV infection puts babies at higher risk of developing asthma later in childhood.
Pediatricians consider the new vaccine, Pfizer’s ABRYSVO, a major breakthrough. It is approved for pregnant people between 32-36 weeks gestation. The mother’s antibodies then cross the placenta and provide protection to the baby. The maternal vaccine significantly reduces the likelihood of an infant’s hospitalization for six months after birth.
“It has been found to prevent 4 out of 5 expected severe infections without significant risk to the mother or her newborn” said Mark Tomlinson, a maternal fetal medicine specialist for Providence in Oregon.
The shot is recommended for pregnant people during the RSV season, September to March.
FILE - This electron microscope image provided by the National Institutes of Health shows human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) virions, colorized blue, and anti-RSV F protein/gold antibodies, colorized yellow, shedding from the surface of human lung cells.
Courtesy of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH / AP
Maternal vaccines for RSV were available for the first time last year, but were slow to roll out due to confusion over whether health insurers would pay for the shot. Insurers get a grace period of a year after the CDC recommends a new shot before they have to pay for it.
Melissa Sutton, the medical director for respiratory viruses at OHA, says insurers are now required to cover the maternal shot. This season, it should be much easier to get in Oregon, and pregnant people who qualify can get it immediately. For example, it’s in stock already at some local pharmacies and at OHSU and Providence clinics.
People on the Oregon Health Plan — the state’s Medicaid program — should be able to get it for free. In some cases, private insurers may charge a copay for it.
Related: Oregon study: COVID-19 vaccine not associated with cardiac deaths in healthy young people
There’s an additional option for infants whose mothers don’t get the RSV vaccine — a monoclonal antibody treatment brandnamed Beyfortus. Infants can get it right after birth, and it provides similar protection against severe RSV infection. Last year that drug was in short supply.
Older adults are the second group at high risk of hospitalization and death from RSV infection. The CDC recommends everyone age 75 and older, and adults over 60 with underlying conditions, get the RSV vaccine. Older adults who got the RSV vaccine last year do not need to get it again: unlike the flu shot, it’s not an annual vaccine.
COVID-19 & flu
The 2024-2025 reformulated flu and COVID-19 vaccines should be increasingly available in clinics and pharmacies statewide. The CDC recommends them for everyone 6 months and older.
Hospitalizations for the flu tend to surge in fall and winter. A clever study recently concluded that patients in the United States get the most mileage and protection out of an annual flu shot when they get it in October.
FILE - COVID-19 vaccine preparation at a drive-thru vaccination clinic at Portland International Airport, April 9, 2021.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff/ OPB
COVID’s seasonal patterns are less clear, Sutton says. Oregon is still at the tail end of a summer surge. Based on the patterns of the past five years, she expects a second surge to develop sometime later in the winter. Beyond that, it’s hard to say what to expect from the virus.
Sutton says the CDC typically provides a 4-to-6-week forecast for COVID-19, but paused that effort over the summer to work on improving its models.
“It’s still very much an emerging pathogen,” Sutton said.
Adults aged 65 and up are at the highest risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Infants under 6 months old are the second most vulnerable age group, with the risk decreasing dramatically as they get older, says Sutton.
Still, Sutton noted, hospitalizations “can occur in anyone,” and health officials are encouraging everyone to get the reformulated shot to avoid the inconveniences — and risks — of getting sick.
Other tips: People can get their COVID-19, flu and RSV vaccines at the same time. Infants can also get Beyfortus, the flu shot, and the COVID-19 vaccine all at once. If you don’t have health insurance, your local public health department should be able to help you find a provider offering free vaccines.