Doctors stress importance of new omicron vaccine for those 12 and up

FOX 2 - It’s not the message parents want to hear as their children start the school year, but experts say Covid is not going away, anytime soon.

As families and school districts work to keep students safe, the medical community believes the new updated Covid vaccines for 12 years old and up, is important.

"All we can do is protect ourselves which is why a new booster shot is so important," said Dr. Matthew Sims, Beaumont Health.

The vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna are FDA authorized and CDC recommended and match the current dominant omicron variant.

Although some doctors believe two doses of the new booster would be better than one.

"That’s one of my concerns here, is it may be two rounds of the booster before we get the full effect," Sims added.

Last week the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told FOX 2 that the state has been allocated up to nearly 200,000 Pfizer doses and just a little over 70,000 Moderna doses for initial orders.

Sims said the first to receive the new booster should be those most at risk, like older people and those with heart disease or are immune compromised - with healthcare workers next.

"We really need to start getting ahead of this which means when a new variant takes over that’s different from the current ones," he said. "We need to get a new mRNA vaccine because they’re quick to make and get it out there."

Moving ahead doctors believe the boosters will be key as Covid numbers are likely to rise over the coming fall and winter months.

"I think we’ll see a surge," Sims said. "What that surge will look like, I don’t know yet."

That’s why doctors still say the best way to fight Covid is to be vaccinated and boosted, if eligible.