As the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season approaches, healthcare professionals, including pharmacists in various healthcare settings, are assessing the vaccine status of patients and continuing to encourage patients to obtain the CDC-recommended vaccinations to protect themselves and others against severe infectious respiratory diseases, including COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). 

COVID-19

According to a recent surveillance report issued by the CDC, the latest mutations of SARS-CoV-2—specifically KP.1, KP.2, KP.3, and their sublineages—are responsible for the majority of infections in the United States as of the first week of August. According to the CDC, as of August 9, 2024, at least 27 states reported “very high” levels of wastewater viral activity nationwide.

The CDC recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against potentially severe infections this fall and winter, whether or not they have ever been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine.

Recently, the FDA announced that the agency updated its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for the 2024-2025 season, recommending a monovalent vaccine composition based on the JN.1 lineage of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Initially, the JN.1 strain was preferred, but the FDA later recommended using the KP.2 strain if feasible to better match circulating virus strains. The FDA wrote, “This change is intended to ensure that the COVID-19 vaccines (2024-2025 Formula) more closely match circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains.” The FDA also added that this change is not anticipated to delay the availability of updated vaccines for fall 2024, and the CDC indicates that updated vaccines will be available in early September. The FDA will continue to monitor vaccine safety, effectiveness, and evolution of the virus. 

Influenza

The composition of the influenza vaccine for the 2024-2025 influenza season will be trivalent and will protect against an H1N1, H3N2, and a B/Victoria lineage virus. Compared with last season, the composition of this season’s vaccine has been updated with a new influenza A(H3N2) virus.

Egg-based vaccines will include:

• an A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1) pdm09–like virus
• an A/Thailand/8/2022 (H3N2)–like virus
• a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)–like virus.

Cell- or recombinant-based vaccines will include:

• an A/Wisconsin/67/2022 (H1N1) pdm09–like virus
• an A/Massachusetts/18/2022 (H3N2)–like virus
• a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)–like virus.

More information on the 2024-2025 influenza vaccine can be found on the CDC website.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

The CDC recommends that all adults aged 75 years and older receive a single dose of the RSV vaccine, and adults aged 60 to 74 years should also get a single dose of the vaccine if they are at augmented risk of severe RSV disease. RSV vaccination is currently recommended as a one-time dose.

In August 2024, positive top-line safety and immunogenicity results from substudy B of the ongoing pivotal phase III MONeT clinical trial assessing two doses of the ABRYSVO vaccine in immunocompromised adults aged 18 and older at risk of developing severe RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease was announced. The first assessment from the RSV vaccine study in immunocompromised adults demonstrated that the vaccine was well-tolerated and generated strong neutralizing responses after a single dose in adults aged 18 years and older, and the results of this assessment enhance the mounting body of evidence indicating that a single dose of this vaccine provides robust immune protection against outcomes caused by RSV.

Pneumonia

The CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for patients aged younger than 5 years, adults aged 65 years and older, and anyone at increased risk of pneumococcal disease. To provide clinicians with a tool that provides swift and simple patient-specific pneumococcal vaccine guidance, the CDC offers a free app called the PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor.

Expanding awareness about current recommendations for the upcoming respiratory virus season and encouraging patients to get vaccinated can decrease the number of serious infections that contribute to increased incidence of hospitalization and death.

The content contained in this article is for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Reliance on any information provided in this article is solely at your own risk.