Although there are shifting views on COVID-19 vaccines and recommendations coming from the federal government, local health experts have advice. 

When the federal government sowed uncertainty about access to COVID-19 vaccines, Governor Josh Shapiro turned to the Pennsylvania Board of Pharmacy.

They took regulatory action to ensure vaccines are available throughout Pennsylvania.  The Erie County Department of Health shows this on its website’s dashboard.

“We've had reports that most major pharmacy chains are going to be carrying the new version of the COVID-19 version that's recently come out, so whether or not insurance carriers will cover it -- all signs are indicating that they will -- but we really strongly encourage folks to talk to their pharmacy before they get the injection or to contact their private insurance carrier or medical assistance to make sure that it's covered,” Erin Mrenak, director of the Erie County Department of Health said. 

Health department officials, who still monitor Erie County wastewater for viruses, said the latest strains of COVID-19, cousins of the Omicron variant, are ticking up.

COVID-19 has never really gone away since it started. It's a virus that mutates quickly -- so even if you've had COVID before or been vaccinated before, new strains of the virus can be equally as contagious as it was before, so it's important to get boosters annually when they become available,” she said. 

Curious about the current systems?

“With this strain of COVID, we're hearing reports that there's a very dry sore throat and a very dry cough which has not always been typical with COVID, so that may be one of the first indicators that you have that, but getting a home test is a great way to tell what sort of respiratory disease you may have because they all start out looking very similar,” she said.