With October here we have entered into respiratory virus season, and it’s important to take precautions now to avoid serious illness. There are precautions you can take now to help keep your family healthy this season.
RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is one of the many viruses that can cause respiratory illness, especially during the fall and winter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s new forecasting site is predicting this upcoming respiratory virus season will have similar numbers as last season, with higher than normal numbers of flu and RSV cases nationally.
RSV is a common virus that usually causes mild cold symptoms. What makes it different from the common cold is that it has the ability to cause much more severe illness, especially in older adults, adults with chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems, and in infants and young children. RSV is a frequent reason for hospitalizations in these vulnerable populations.
The good news is that this year, in addition to the common sense precautions that help protect everyone from respiratory illness, there are some new options available to help provide protection specifically from RSV.
For those 60 years and older, the CDC has approved two new vaccines, RSVPreF3 (Abrysvo) and RSVpreF (Arexvy), in order to help prevent RSV infections in individuals 60 and older. Patients who are eligible are encouraged to discuss the vaccine with their healthcare provider to determine if the vaccine is right for them.
In late September, the CDC also stated that one of these new vaccines, Abrysvo, can be given to pregnant women, to protect their newborns with due dates falling within the fall/winter respiratory season from severe RSV illness. Specifically, in order to provide this seasonal protection, the CDC recommends one dose of the maternal RSV vaccine for pregnant women who will be at 32 to 36 weeks of pregnancy between the months of September through January. Since this vaccine has just recently been approved, it will slowly become more available throughout the fall and winter months, but may not be widely available initially. Pregnant women interested in the vaccine should discuss it with their OBs to determine if it is right for them.
For eligible infants and young children, a newly approved monoclonal antibody product called nirsevimab (Beyfortus) can provide an extra layer of defense that helps fight RSV infections and protect these young children from getting very sick. Like vaccines, this product helps prevent RSV, however, it is not a treatment for a child already infected with RSV.
Nirsevimab was recently approved by the CDC and is recommended for all infants under 8 months born during, or entering into, their first RSV season (usually October through March). It’s also recommended for infants and young children 8 to 18 months old who are at increased risk of severe illness. Interested parents and guardians should reach out to their pediatrician or healthcare provider to discuss further. This new product may not be widely available during the 2023-24 respiratory virus season, however the Arizona Department of Health Services will continue to work on providing additional information on where to find the new product this season.
Those with infants and young children who are at higher risk for severe illness should also talk to their healthcare provider about palivizumab (Synagis) and whether their child should receive it instead of nirsevimab. Infants and children that receive either Synagis or Beyfortus should not receive the other product during the same season.
For more information about RSV, visit our website or the CDC’s website. To find a vaccine near you, speak with your healthcare provider or visit vaccines.gov.
COVID-19 prevention for the season
Updated COVID-19 vaccines for 2023-2024 were approved by the CDC, just in time for the respiratory virus season.
The course of COVID-19 is still unpredictable, but cases are expected to increase during the fall and winter. The CDC’s new forecasting site is predicting this respiratory season will have similar case numbers and hospitalizations compared to last year’s (which were high), making this fall the perfect time for you and your family to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself against the latest circulating variants.
The virus that causes COVID-19 is always changing to try and get around our immune systems, so protection from COVID-19 vaccines and prior COVID infection declines over time. Everyone 6 months and older is encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine this season.
The updated vaccines have been formulated to target currently circulating variants (including the omicron variant and its XBB lineage/sub-variants, like XBB.1.5), so your body is better able to fight them. These vaccines give your immune system a good idea of what the new virus variant looks like, so if/when you are infected down the line, your body can fight against COVID-19 more easily. In this way, this year’s new vaccines restore protection against a severe case of COVID-19, which can result in hospitalization or death.
There are three types of updated COVID-19 vaccines currently available, recommended by the CDC:
- Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech each have an updated vaccine available for those 6 months and older.
- For people ages 5 years and older, one dose of either updated vaccine is enough to get up-to-date, regardless of prior vaccination status.
- For younger children (ages 6 months to 4 years) the number of vaccines needed depends on how many doses of COVID-19 vaccine they’ve had previously. Parents should discuss their child’s specific situation with their pediatrician or healthcare provider.
- The updated Novavax vaccine (a non-mRNA protein subunit vaccine) has also been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for people 12 years of age and older. This vaccine is available for both unvaccinated (2 doses) and previously vaccinated individuals (1 dose).
All three types of vaccine have been recommended by the CDC, and all of the updated 2023-2024 vaccines provide effective immunization against COVID-19.
In addition to the common-sense precautions that will protect you and your family from respiratory illness (cover your cough, wash hands, stay home when sick), ADHS recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory illness season. Very young children can receive their vaccines at their pediatrician’s office or from your local health department. For school age children, teens and adults, vaccines are available in area pharmacies and some primary care offices.
The Bridge Access Program also provides no-cost COVID-19 vaccines that are available to adults 18 and older without health insurance, and to adults whose health insurance does not cover all COVID-19 vaccine costs.
Visit vaccines.gov to find a vaccine location near you. Be sure to inquire ahead to ensure the location has the updated vaccine in stock, and is administering it to the age range that you/your family needs.
If you need to order additional free at home COVID tests, place your order at covid.gov/tests.
Visit the ADHS COVID website and dashboard, or the CDC’s website, for the latest COVID information and data and to read additional FAQs about the COVID vaccine.
Dr. Kiran Raman is the division medical director for Public Health Preparedness at the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). She is double board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric emergency. At ADHS, she previously served as medical director for the Bureau of Epidemiology and Disease Control as well as deputy TB control officer for the State of Arizona.
