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Can You Get Another COVID Vaccine Amid the Summer Surge?

Find out who’s eligible as coronavirus cases, ER visits and hospitalizations climb

Rachel Nania,

AARP

En español

Published July 19, 2024

covid virus illustration on the peak of upward arrows

Photo Collage: AARP (Source: Envato Elements(2))

Unlike influenza, RSV and other common respiratory illnesses, COVID-19 is not sitting out the summer season.

In many areas of the U.S., COVID cases, emergency department visits and hospitalizations are increasing. And adults 65 and older are especially feeling the impact of the summer surge, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At the end of June, hospitalization rates for this age group were roughly 14 times higher than for adults under 50.

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While COVID continues its summer spread, fueled by highly contagious variants, infectious disease experts say older adults can do some things to protect themselves from falling ill from an infection.

It’s not too late for the COVID vaccine

If the last time you rolled up your sleeve for a COVID vaccine was last fall, you may be eligible for another shot this summer.

The CDC in February recommended that all adults 65 and older receive one additional dose of the vaccine that was updated and introduced in September. (People who are immunocompromised were already eligible for additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.) And William Schaffner, M.D., professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said it’s not too late to take advantage of this recommendation now if you didn't back in the spring.

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“Protection wanes over time,” Schaffner says. “And for [older people], who are frail, who have chronic underlying conditions, people who are immune compromised, by now their protection has diminished. So you can get another [shot] now, and then this fall, you can get the updated vaccine also.”

Indeed, vaccine manufacturers are working on a new version of the coronavirus vaccine for 2024-2025 that targets the variants of the virus currently circulating and causing a significant share of infections in the U.S. The updated vaccines are expected in early fall — around the same time the annual flu shot becomes available.

The COVID-19 vaccine currently available in pharmacies and clinics targets a coronavirus variant that is no longer circulating widely. Nevertheless, the vaccine “still looks pretty good in protecting against severe disease,” even when up against the newer variants, Schaffner says. “Fortunately, these variants are all part of the omicron family,” he adds, meaning they share similar traits. Omicron burst onto the scene in late 2021, and its descendants have been circulating ever since.

Wondering if it’s better to go ahead and get a shot now or wait until fall? Talk to your doctor, who can help you weigh your personal risks. You should also talk to your doctor if you are under 65 and worried about complications from COVID.

Masks are still ‘front line’ prevention tools

Another tool that adds an additional layer of protection during the summer swell is a face mask, Schaffner says. Masks act as a filter “to reduce the number of germs you breathe in or out,” the CDC explains, lowering the risk of virus transmission.

N95 and KN95 respirators tend to do the best job at blocking viruses like the coronavirus, says the CDC. You can find these masks for sale at many retail pharmacies.

“The front line of prevention is still handwashing and masks,” says Jill Foster, M.D., assistant dean and a professor in the division of pediatric infectious diseases at University of Minnesota Medical Center.

Feeling sick? Take a test

If you do come down with symptoms — and Foster says she’s seeing many COVID infections this summer start out like a head cold — it’s important to test yourself for COVID-19, especially if you’re in a high-risk group.

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The reason: If the test is positive, you’ll want to reach out to your health care provider right away to ask about treatments. You can take one of two prescription antiviral medications — Paxlovid being the preferred — at home to help keep a mild infection from turning severe. And they work best when started right away.

Better yet, Schaffner says, talk to your doctor even if you aren’t sick to get a plan in place, should you catch COVID this summer.

“It would be wise for everybody in the high-risk group to have had a conversation with their provider such that if they do become positive, how can they quickly get a Paxlovid prescription? What would happen on a weekend, for example, or if the provider is on vacation? Just have that conversation so that, should you turn positive, [you’ll be able] to start your Paxlovid just as quickly as you can,” Schaffner says.

Rachel Nania is an award-winning health editor and writer at AARP.org, who covers a range of topics including diseases and treatments.

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