Louisville health experts stress importance of updated COVID-19 boosters

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new COVID-19 booster shot will soon be available in Louisville, and doctors said this one is just as important as the previous shots.

The COVID-19 virus continues to mutate and remains extremely contagious, keeping Louisville in the red category. Norton Healthcare said it's preparing to roll out the latest booster in an effort to provide patient protection from the new variants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new bivalent booster, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending its use. It will protect against the most common strains of the virus, which are the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

Doctors said anyone 12 and older can get the vaccine, as long as the patient has already finished his or her primary series of COVID-19 vaccines and it has been at least two months since his or her last booster shot.

One Norton doctor believes this new booster is necessary to keep people from getting seriously sick with COVID.

"Do I really need this?" said Dr. Kristina Bryant, M.D., the director of system pediatric epidemiology and infectious diseases for Norton Children's Medical Group. "I had my prior shots. I had my other boosters. Is it still important? And, yes, because this booster offers different protection. It increases the protection."

Norton expects to get its shipment of the booster the week of the Sept. 19. It will be administered at 70 locations in the Norton Health system.

It's free for all patients.

Norton doctors said they expect a surge of COVID-19 this winter, as with last winter, and they're urging people to be up-to-date on vaccines.

They plan to hold a vaccine clinic in early October.