SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) – You ask, we answer!

A viewer wrote the Your Stories Team wondering if the second dose of the bivalent COVID-19 booster shot differs from the first dose that rolled out last September. The bivalent booster targets the original COVID-19 strain and the Omicron variant.

We took this question to Dr. Stephen Thomas, with Upstate Medical University. He said to his knowledge nothing has changed with the formula. In an article written last month, Yale Medicine also said it was the same formula that was offered last fall.

People 65 and older and those immunocompromised have been given the green light by the FDA to receive an additional dose of the bivalent booster, as long as enough time has passed since their first dose.

While no formula changes have been made to the current bivalent booster, changes could be coming in the near future. The FDA released the following information in an April 18 news release:

“In June, the FDA will hold a meeting of its VRBPAC to discuss the strain composition of the COVID-19 vaccines for fall of 2023. Much like the FDA does yearly with the influenza vaccines, the agency will seek input from the committee on which SARS-CoV-2 variants and lineages are most likely to circulate in the upcoming year. Once the specific strains are selected for the COVID-19 vaccines, the FDA expects manufacturers to make updated formulations of the vaccines for availability this fall.”