Fall is right around the corner, raising prospects of another COVID-19 surge as people return to work, school and indoor activities.
Things are different this autumn, the third in the age of COVID. With 80% of Massachusetts fully vaccinated, and new boosters becoming available this week, health experts are waiting to see how things develop.
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"We anticipate that cases are going to rise. Now, in terms of how high that that surge is going to be, it's a little bit hard to determine," said Dr. Sabrina Assoumou at Boston Medical Center.
"I'm completely vaccinated. I have had it, so I feel like if I don't put myself in a very big mix, I'll be OK," one woman told NBC10 Boston.
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The new boosters target the original virus and the latest omicron variants, making them bivalent vaccines.
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"The new booster contains the original formulation of the vaccine and the code that targets a portion of the spike protein that is common to both BA.4 and BA.5," said Dr. Shira Doron at Tufts Medical Center.
The newest Pfizer shot is for people 12 years of age and older. Moderna's is for those over the age of 18.
"You're eligible for this new booster if you've been fully vaccinated with a primary series and at least two months have passed since whatever your last dose was," Doron said.
With kids returning to school, there are currently no mandates for masks or testing. But that could change.
"The way to think about it is, 'Let's use all of our layers when cases are high so that we can get over that hump and get to the other side as a healthier community,'" Assoumou said.
It'll be a little longer before we see boosters for younger children.
