Covid update: The FDA authorizes another booster for at-risk Americans

The Food and Drug Administration will authorize an updated booster for older adults and immunocompromised people in a few weeks and introduce a new booster later this year, according to The New York Times.

Meanwhile, state reports show the community level of the Covid-19 virus has remained low in the Charleston area, and 25 people died statewide from Covid in the week ending April 1.

Americans aged 65 years and older and those with immune deficiencies are eligible to receive the new booster shot at no charge but must wait at least four months after their last shot. The New York Times observed that the FDA’s decision to update the booster shot for at-risk individuals acknowledges Covid-19 remains dangerous.

In line with public health policy for the annual flu season, the Biden administration will make a reformulated Covid-19 booster available to all Americans by early fall. Regulators are currently pinpointing which viral strain the new booster will target.

Latest COVID-19 data

State health officials encourage residents to refer to the CDC’s community levels map to track the severity of Covid-19. As of April 5, Charleston County’s community level has remained low in line with the previous reporting period.

For the week ending April 1, Covid-related hospitalizations in Charleston increased 10.7% in comparison to the week ending March 25. For the week ending April 1, state officials reported 25 people died from Covid-19 — 16 more deaths than the previous week. In this period, 1,670 new cases were reported — 356 fewer than the previous reporting period.

SCDHEC transitioned to weekly reporting of new Covid data in December 2022. The most recent numbers were reported Tuesday and covered March 26-April 1. In other data: