EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) - A new bivalent COVID-19 booster for kids as young as the age of five is not in our area yet, but will be available soon.
On Wednesday the FDA and CDC approved of the booster but it still needs state approval and guidance before the booster can be distributed.
The Eau Claire City-County Health Department expects to be able to give out the vaccine as early as late next week.
Health officials say that unlike other boosters, the bivalent booster covers the newer Omicron variant as well as any of the previous variants, and is aimed at preventing kids from having any serious symptoms.
"Kids in that age group don't necessarily always get sick, but some of them may have underlying health conditions that maybe they're not even aware of, and so then this protects them not necessarily from not getting it, but from not having severe outcomes from the COVID-19 virus," said Kristy Polden, a public health nurse for the health department.
There is a bivalent booster available now for ages 12 and older at the Eau Claire City-County Health Department and local pharmacies. Health administrators say that 37% of Eau Claire County has received at least one coronavirus booster.
