A new COVID-19 booster was just approved by the FDA. Should you get it right away or wait?

You will soon be able to get a newly updated COVID-19 vaccine dose. The Food and Drug Administration just approved new versions of the boosters that are designed to better protect against coronavirus variants circulating now. With COVID-19 wastewater levels high and hospitalizations increasing right as , the new shot can help provide more protection at a crucial time, experts tell TODAY.

com. Pharmacies are expected to start offering the shots in the coming days, . "We're in a we're in a significant summer surge right now," Dr.

Natalie Azar, NBC medical contributor, said during a Aug. 22 segment on the TODAY show. More than 40 states are reporting high or very levels of , according to .

That surge is largely fueled by the emergence of new highly transmissible variants, particularly FLiRT strains like KP.3 and its relative, KP.3.

1.1. While the last updated vaccines did provide some protection against strains like those, the new variants are different enough that an updated booster is warranted, Dr.

Bernard Camins, medical director for infection prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System, tells TODAY.com. “Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention,” Dr.

Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a announcing the approval. "Given waning immunity of the population from previous exposure to the virus and from prior vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated .