The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Thursday that it has approved and authorized administration of a new COVID-19 vaccine formula, and Vermonters will soon be able to access those vaccinations at primary care offices and pharmacies in the state, according to the state Department of Health.

The vaccine is designed to target currently circulating variants more closely and better protect against serious outcomes of the virus, the FDA said in a press release. 

As immunity wanes in the general population, prior vaccinations and exposure to the coronavirus are less effective in preventing future infections, according to Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

“Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention,” Marks said in the release. “These updated vaccines meet the agency’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.” 

Vermont’s COVID-19 indicators have been on an upswing this summer, with 17 people dying from the virus so far this month — the most this year since January’s total of 29 deaths, according to the Department of Health’s weekly surveillance report. 

Wastewater facilities in Montpelier, South Burlington and Essex Junction have seen an increase in COVID-19 levels recently as well. 

The updated vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer are approved for use in people 12 and older, and other updated versions from the two companies are authorized for emergency use for individuals between 6 months and 11 years of age, according to the FDA release.  

Health care providers in Vermont will begin ordering products within the next two weeks, according to Sharon Muellers, senior public health communication officer with the health department. 

“Supply for this year is on par with what we received last season and should support the need,” Muellers said via email. 

Kinney Drugs, a pharmacy chain in New York and Vermont, said it expects to open appointments for the updated vaccine early next week, and, along with other pharmacies, is authorized to administer the vaccines to individuals 3 years and older.

“As a Pharmacist, I am pleased that the FDA has approved this updated COVID-19 vaccine,” Kinney Drugs’ president John Marraffa said in a press release Thursday. “Incidents of COVID-19 are already increasing throughout both New York and Vermont, so it is especially good timing with students heading back to school.”

Although the federally funded “Bridge Access Program” — which has provided free COVID vaccines to people without insurance coverage or whose insurance didn’t cover the vaccines — ends this month, Muellers said the health department will offer support for local vaccination efforts this fall. 

Mueller also noted that this year’s influenza vaccine is trivalent, meaning it protects against three different strains of the flu, and recommended adults ages 75 and older should get an RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, vaccine.

Just like seasonal flu vaccines, the FDA said it anticipates annual assessment of the composition of COVID-19 vaccines, unless a “markedly more infectious variant” emerges.