Current COVID-19 Vaccines and Strain Coverage
Yes, the current 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines are specifically designed to cover currently circulating strains and provide protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. 1
Updated Vaccine Formulations Target Current Strains
The FDA approved and authorized updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines in August 2024 that specifically target the Omicron JN.1 lineage strains (JN.1 and KP.2), which are the currently circulating variants in the United States. 1
- Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are based on the KP.2 strain 1
- Novavax vaccine is based on the JN.1 strain 1
These updated formulations replaced the 2023-2024 vaccines that targeted XBB-sublineage strains, which are no longer predominant. 1
Vaccine Effectiveness Against Current Strains
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reviewed effectiveness data showing the updated vaccines provide meaningful protection, though with some important nuances:
Against symptomatic infection:
- 58% effectiveness against XBB-sublineage infection at 60-119 days post-vaccination 1
- 37% effectiveness against JN.1-sublineage infection at 60-119 days post-vaccination 1
Against hospitalization:
- 49% effectiveness at 7-59 days after vaccination 1
- Effectiveness declines to 14% at 120-179 days after vaccination 1
Against critical illness and death:
- Protection against critical illness appears more durable, with 69% effectiveness at 7-59 days and 32% at 120-179 days 1
- Pooled effectiveness against COVID-19-associated death was 23% 1
Clinical Recommendation
The ACIP recommends 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccination for all persons aged ≥6 months to target currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains and provide additional protection against severe COVID-19-associated illness and death. 1
Key Implementation Points:
- The vaccines are FDA-approved for persons aged ≥12 years and authorized under Emergency Use Authorization for children aged 6 months-11 years 1
- While effectiveness against mild infection is moderate and wanes over time, protection against severe outcomes (hospitalization and death) remains the primary benefit 1
- Vaccine effectiveness is highest in the first 2 months after vaccination, with declining protection over time, particularly against hospitalization 1
Important Caveats:
The certainty of evidence is rated as low for most outcomes in adults and adolescents, and very low for infants and children, meaning the true effectiveness may differ from these estimates. 1 However, given that COVID-19 continues to cause thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths weekly in the United States, vaccination remains the best available strategy to prevent severe disease. 1
The vaccines provide better protection against severe outcomes than against infection itself, which is the most clinically relevant benefit for reducing morbidity and mortality. 1