Registration spots for the new version of the COVID-19 vaccine at Butler Health System have filled up fast for all scheduled clinics so far.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the vaccine to protect against the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 strains of COVID-19. Karen Gagen, Butler Health System’s vaccination coordinator, said the number of people getting the vaccine will help reduce community transmission.

Gagen said the new version is “bivalent,” meaning that it targets two strains.

“It targets two things instead of one; the monovalent targeted the initial strain,” Gagen said. “Especially if you are vaccinated and boosted, you have less chance of being hospitalized.”

The vaccine clinics offering the bivalent vaccine is by appointment only. Gagen said the first bivalent vaccine clinic hosted at Butler Memorial Hospital on Friday, Sept. 9 had 265 registration spots, which filled up in one day.

The health system gets the Pfizer vaccines through the state Department of Health, which will be supplied in limited quantities for the time being. To register for the bivalent vaccine, people must have received the primary series of vaccinations at least two months prior and be at least 12 years old.

Gagen also said the brand of vaccine used for the primary series does not affect the bivalent one; if someone get the Moderna monovalent vaccine, they can still get the Pfizer bivalent shot.

Gagen said the bivalent vaccine could have similar side effects to the primary series, but the severity depends on the person.

“One person said he did better than he did with the original,” Gagen said. “Some other people who got it, they said they were tired, bagged out for a while. That means it's working then; it’s getting your immune system stimulated.”

Dr. John Love, executive director of clinical safety and infectious disease at BHS, said in August that the BA.4 and BA.5 variants were becoming the dominant COVID-19 strains as of late July.

According to Gagen, the omicron strains of COVID-19 are slightly more contagious than the original strain, but generally less severe in their symptoms.

Gagen also said the bivalent vaccine, which is a one-shot booster, will significantly decrease a person’s chance of getting sick from the omicron strains and also lessen symptoms should they catch the sickness.

“Everybody should consider getting it,” Gagen said. “I know what we are hoping for — we’re hoping (transmission) goes down. The more people vaccinated, the better off we'll be.”

Butler Health System have clinics scheduled at the Crossroads Campus, 127 Oneida Valley Road, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 and Wednesday, Sept. 21 and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23.

Gagen said updates on clinics, registration and hours are at butlerhealthsystem.org.