CLEVELAND — In June, the FDA and CDC approved Pfizer’s ‘Abrysvo’ RSV vaccine for adults over age 60. In July, they signed off on an RSV monoclonal antibody shot, ‘Beyfortus’, for high-risk newborns to 19-month-olds. Those infants considered "high-risk: include premature babies or those with heart or lung issues.
The latest approval is Abrysvo RSV shot for pregnant women. The CDC will review it in early October, but it will likely be available by November for women 32 to 36 weeks.
"The most vulnerable time of a baby's life is when they're not protected and by vaccinating the mother, the mother develops antibodies and she's able to transmit some of it to her unborn child. So when the baby's delivered, the baby gets some protection," says Cleveland Clinic OB-GYN infectious disease specialist, Tosin Goje, M.D.
The flu shot is already rolling out to local pharmacies and is expected to be a good match to what's coming our way. Dr. Goje strongly encourages pregnant women to get one because pregnancy decreases immunity.
"When we are pregnant and get infected with the flu, we have a higher chance of getting very sick with the flu, increased risk of having flu-related complications and hospitalization, and high fevers are known to affect mother and baby. So not only is mother sick, that high fever can affect the unborn child," Dr. Goje said.
We're starting to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases, but nothing like the pandemic. But there's always a chance a newer variant can be a little nastier. Updated booster shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax should be available by October.
"When we have the next batch of COVID vaccine, we have what you need, the perfect match as much as possible for the variants circulating the country," Dr. Goje said.
You can get flu and COVID vaccines at the same time, but may want to space out the RSV shot if you qualify for one. Talk to your health provider about your options.
