The new COVID vaccine that targets the Omicron variant is now available from the Berrien County Health Department. Berrien County Health Officer Guy Miller tells us this is called the bivalent COVID vaccine.
“Bivalent just means that it has two substrains that it’s including,” Miller said. “Most flu vaccines that you’ll receive are quadrivalent, so this is similar.”
Miller says the old COVID vaccines are no longer recommended for boosters because this new one is more effective.
“It’s going to provide a greater protection than original, or monovalent, vaccine of COVID-19, and it’s good to have a little bit of protection when you get an illness. It doesn’t necessary prevent the illness, but it can greatly reduce the symptoms.”
The Berrien County Health Department is now only offering the bivalent boosters. They’re available to anyone age 12 and up. You should wait two months from the date of your previous shot to get the new one, or three months if you’ve recently had COVID. You can make an appointment at the Berrien County Health Department’s website.
