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Dr. Paul Cieslak, OHA senior health advisor and medical director, Communicable Diseases and Immunizations, and Dr. Melissa Sutton, OHA medical director of respiratory viral pathogens, answered today’s questions.
Q: My wife and I got vaccinated last October with our 4th shots. Should we get another booster this spring? We are in our seventies. – David, Cornelius
A: “If you received your last COVID-19 booster in October, it was the updated (bivalent) shot from Moderna or Pfizer. (The monovalent, or original, booster was discontinued in September 2022.) Only one dose of the updated booster is authorized. Therefore, it is not possible for you and your wife to receive any more shots at this time. Check the CDC’s page on COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for additional information.
“You might consider following the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC)—which meets periodically to discuss all types of vaccines. If the FDA authorizes another shot, the CDC would then have to recommend it before states can begin administering shots. The FDA advisory committee calendar may be found here.”
Q: Where can I get an RSV PCR test done? – Steve, Eugene
A: “’RSV testing is not readily available to people in the same way COVID-19 testing has been. Only a health care provider can order an RSV test, and it occurs within a doctor’s office, hospital or other clinical setting. Most RSV testing occurs in moderately to severely ill children or older people with RSV-like respiratory symptoms. Confirming an RSV infection with a test is not particularly informative in most cases because there is currently no treatment for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).
If you have a question related to COVID-19 or other public health topics, submit your question here. While we are unable to answer every question, we try to address questions that may be of interest to a broader audience. Please understand we are unable to provide specific medical advice for personal medical conditions.
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