New COVID strain has new vaccines this fall, Valley doctor says

HARLINGEN — The fall season is upon us.

And the cold and flu season.

And … it’s time for a new COVID vaccination.

These days COVID has joined the repertoire of yearly shots to protect people from variants of familiar viruses. Doctors are still trying to find a cure or a vaccine for the common cold, but fortunately health are professionals continue to monitor variants and mutations of COVID-19 to develop new vaccines each year.

This year, the strain is the KP.2 Omicron, said Dr. Christopher Romero, internal medicine specialist at Valley Baptist Medical Center.

“There have been updates to the COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-25 season,” Romero said. “Both Pfizer and Moderna have updated the variants that their vaccines cover.”

Recall in 2020 the frightening COVID-19 pandemic which swept the world and terrified people. Shelter-in-place orders kept people inside their homes for months. Some succumbed to the disease and died. Others became gravely ill and never completely regained their health.

Four years later and the COVID-19 virus is no longer a pandemic. Instead, it has become endemic, meaning it is a part of daily life. While it is a serious disease, most cases are not nearly as severe or deadly as they were in 2020.

“We can see a large uptick in the number of people coming down with COVID-19 toward the end of this summer,” Romero said. “Then it may extend into this fall, especially as school gets back and people are more back in congested environments.”

Romero suggested people reach out to their healthcare providers and pharmacies about receiving the new vaccine.

Those with compromised immune systems and comorbidities such as obesity or diabetes are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and should get vaccinated against COVID regularly.