Fauci urges people not to wait to get COVID boosters amid Omicron subvariant surge
Alex Wong/Getty Images News

Chief Medical Advisor to the President Anthony Fauci said that individuals should not wait until the fall to get a COVID-19 booster (or second booster if eligible) as the shots can provide protection against severe disease from Omicron subvariants that are dominant in the U.S.
Speaking on Bloomberg TV, Fauci conceded that while protection against infection from BA.4 and BA.5 is "not optimal" with current vaccines, they are "pretty good and hold strong" in preventing severe disease.
While it is expected that vaccines will be ready in the fall that have components specifically to fight Omicron and/or its subvariants, Fauci said people who haven't received any boosters shouldn't wait until then.
"If you're eight, nine months from your last shot, you should not wait until the fall to get your booster shot," Fauci said, adding that getting a booster now doesn't preclude you from getting an updated booster in the fall.
COVID-19 vaccine makers: Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), and Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX).
On July 12, the CDC said BA.5 represented 65% of COVID variants circulating in the U.S.
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