Public health leaders await approval of annual COVID vaccine
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Food and Drug Administration's COVID advisors will be meeting on Thursday to discuss a possible single dose COVID vaccine that would be offered annually.
Santa Barbara County's new Public Health Director Mouhanad Hammami said his staff will be on the lookout for the committee's decision.
"Of course from a public health perspective anything that is going to have some regularity would have its benefits," said Hammami. "We know this COVID vaccine and specifically the virus does not mimic all other viruses, so if they want to draw an analogy to flu vaccine having a regular annual vaccine is certainly something that is welcome so people don't need to worry about when to take the booster and when not to take it."
Hammami worked as Michigan's Chief Health Strategist during the height of the pandemic.
Although COVID cases have fallen since then he said an annual vaccine could get people into the habit of getting protection on a yearly basis.
FDA experts would decide how to modify the vaccine with different genetic codes intended to provide the best prevention, but unlike the flu vaccine, it may not be based on a season.
"The caveat is that this vaccine is not predictable, so there is no season for it so we don't know whether we say you should have it first of the year versus the middle of summer. This is where more science needs to be put into that decision," said Hammami.
HIs advice is to get the booster and an annual vaccine once it is available.
"We welcome anything that is going to add to the prevention and also add to the people taking the vaccine because we know that the vaccine works," said Hammami.
The new CEO at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics Dr. Mahdi Ashrafian said he thinks an annual vaccine is likely.
"I think there is huge possibility that it might go that route and it might become and annual shot or vaccination just like flu and if something like that happens, we are open and we are here for patients to come and get vaccinated," said Dr. Ashrafian.
Both Doctors recommend the booster.
"It is very helpful. It is proven that it is going to protect you from, not necessarily getting the disease, but from the severe aspects of the disease the long COVID, things like that, " said Dr. Ashrafian.
The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacist Angela Wong said they are currently offering the new Bivalent vaccine boosters and welcome walk-ins from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
She said some people ask for the flu vaccine, too.
"It picked up in the Fall with the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine, " said Wong. "A lot of people came in for both and I could see that happening every year."
For COVID vaccine information visit countyofsb.org or sbclinics.org.
Editor's Note: A prior version of this story incorrectly identified Mouhanad Hammami as the Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer, rather than the Santa Barbara County Public Health Director. Dr. Henning Ansorg is the Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer.
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