Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson and this is five things you need to know Tuesday the 12th of September, 2023.

Today a new batch of COVID vaccines plus the latest on an escaped convict in Pennsylvania

and how the military aims to leave no soldier behind decades after a crash in Alaska.

The FDA yesterday authorized updated COVID-19 vaccines.

For more on how this latest batch of vaccines is different and who should think about getting the shots?

I spoke with USA Today Health reporter Karen Wantrob.

What's different this time around?

These target a different variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19.

You won't notice a difference, same side effects, same everything but it's just slightly different formula to target that different variant.

That variant unfortunately is no longer the dominant one and they knew it when they decided to target that particular variant but they didn't really have a choice because they couldn't predict the future when they made that decision.

And Karen in terms of the current guidance from health experts who should be getting these vaccines and going forward how often should people be updating their COVID shots?

So it's hard to say exactly who needs it and who doesn't.

The general guideline is if you're older and by which they mean probably over 65 but if you're super healthy maybe 75 if you're really unhealthy maybe a little younger.

If you're immunocompromised definitely should be getting a vaccine and immunocompromised means if you say you have rheumatoid arthritis and you're taking drugs that reduce your immune tolerance.

If you're on cancer therapy particularly if you have blood cancer things like that.

Even people who have say diabetes high blood pressure cardiovascular disease should probably be getting a COVID vaccine at least once a year.

Again if you're severely immunocompromised maybe twice or a year at least because your immune protection doesn't last that long you may not get that much to begin with.

Karen for those who have been infected with COVID before this is a lot of folks at this point.

Is there immunity from previous infections strong enough to avoid getting vaccinated every year?

Most of us have gotten at this point an infection or two and that does provide protection from part of the immune system so you have T cell immunity it's called.

You probably will not get severe disease again especially if you're young and otherwise healthy.

What you do not have is protection against all infection unless you really have caught it just recently.

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