HHS: More than 7 million people have received updated COVID vaccine

More than 7 million Americans have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine since it was approved one month ago, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed off on the Pfizer and Moderna shots Sept. 11, and distribution was allowed to begin after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended them Sept. 12.

While parents and pediatricians said they’re having problems finding available doses, HHS said 14 million vaccines have shipped to pharmacies and other locations. 

Providers and pharmacies self-report those numbers, though, because the federal government is no longer in charge of purchasing and distributing the majority of the vaccines. 

The COVID vaccine is now commercialized, like the flu shot and other vaccines. That puts the burden of ordering shots on hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies, and on the public to pay for it — though, the HHS says, “most Americans” can get a vaccine at no additional cost through their health insurance or through a CDC program.

With the vaccine commercialized, the numbers from the HHS are likely an undercount, and specific breakdowns were not available.

Despite the limitations, the agency said the latest vaccine effort is about on par with the 2022 rollout of the bivalent booster shot. Last year’s booster was rolled out about 10 days earlier; by Sept. 28, 2022, almost 7.6 million Americans had received the updated shots.

But demand for the 2022 bivalent booster vaccine was low. Only about 20 percent of adults received the shot, and experts have said they don’t expect much difference with the newest version.

The updated shots were designed to target the XBB.1.5 variant, which was dominant when vaccine makers started formulating and testing a new version

Like all the other COVID-19 vaccines, the updated version is not designed to prevent infection completely but is meant to reduce the severity of symptoms and curb the risk of “long COVID.”

The XBB.1.5 variant is no longer dominant and only accounts for about 3 percent of cases. But experts and administration officials have said the vaccines should still be effective at preventing severe infection against other variants that are circulating.