Health officials encourage Henrico residents to get new COVID-19 booster

The scramble to get vaccinated for COVID-19 has dwindled. When the first batch of vaccines hit the market in Dec. 2020, 67% of the nation’s population received at least one dose.

But as of Nov. 4, only about 14% of adults had gotten the new booster released this fall nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since those new COVID-19 vaccines became available in September and October, Richmond and Henrico vaccination rates generally have mirrored the statewide rates, according to Emily Rich, the COVID-19 epidemiologist for the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts. As of Nov. 28, Henrico's vaccination rate for the new boosters was 11.2%, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The highest vaccination rate in the county was among people 50 and older (21.1%).

“So not super high yet, but there’s still plenty of time to get it. We highly encourage residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible.” Rich said.

Despite these lower rates of vaccination, COVID-19 is still around. The VDH COVID-19 tracker found that roughly 1.5% of emergency department visits ended with a diagnosis of COVID-19 during the week of Nov. 23.

COVID-19 diagnoses have decreased since the end of summer, when there was a brief increase, Rich said.

“There have only been 4.3 new COVID admissions per 100,000 residents in the last week,” Rich said on Nov. 15. “Richmond and Henrico reflect similar rates. We saw about 4.9 new admissions per 100,000 residents in Richmond and Henrico as of the week of Nov. 4.”

The updated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 were recommended for use for anyone six months and older in the United States by the CDC on Sept. 12. On Oct. 3, the agency approved the new 2023-2024 Novavax vaccine.

The vaccine targets a subvariant of omicron, XBB.1.5. This is currently not the most abundant variant, but the common variants in the United States are closely related to XBB variants, according to the CDC.

In a Reuters article published in early October, CVS said it was experiencing delivery delays. Wholesalers like Cardinal Health and McKesson said they’ve shipped out millions of vaccines and needed to ramp up their delivery systems.

Rich said that to her knowledge, there hasn’t been a shortage in Henrico County or Richmond. But those who are looking for vaccines should use vaccines.gov, which will provide residents with a list of providers that have vaccines available.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, about 10,000 people per 100,000 of the Virginia population have the most up-to-date vaccination for COVID-19. But more than 25,000 per 100,000 have the influenza vaccine.

The flu shot vaccine became available in Oct. 2023 according to Precision Vaccinations, at about the same time as the newest COVID-19 booster. This fall, the CDC recommended getting them both at the same appointment if eligible.

“They do remain safe and effective if you get them at the same appointment,” Rich said.

A study published in September found that the administration of both vaccines together could yield higher COVID-19 antibodies. The antibodies of subjects who received both vaccines simultaneously were higher than those who received them a month apart for over six months following initial administration.

Getting both shots at once may cause a slight increase in reaction to the shots. An investigation into the physical reaction after getting both the COVID-19 booster and the influenza vaccination found a slight increase in reactions like mild pain at the injection site, mild fatigue, muscle aches and headaches when both vaccinations were administered simultaneously.

“As we move into winter, which is typically respiratory virus season, it’s possible that we could see an increase in COVID-19 as well as flu and RSV,” Rich said. “Fortunately, this season, we have vaccines to protect against all three major respiratory illnesses, so I highly encourage everyone to talk to their healthcare provider, or visit vaccine.gov.”