ALA: Why COVID-19 Boosters Matter Now, With Juanita Mora, MD

COVID-19 vaccination rates remain low even as the virus settles into a predictable twice-a-year pattern. In this HCPLive interview, allergist Juanita Mora, MD, unpacks the American Lung Association's COVID-19 prevention campaign, including who qualifies for a booster now, an underused antiviral prophylaxis option, and the specialist's role in closing persistent vaccination gaps.

Our vaccination rates have been low throughout the country for COVID-19 vaccinations, and I think out of sight is out of mind for a lot of people. Many people [feel] we're done with the pandemic, so we don't have to worry about COVID 19 anymore. What I tell patients though is COVID 19 has become like the flu; it's coming back every season. It's here to stay.

COVID-19 vaccination rates among adults remain low even as the virus has settled into a predictable, twice-yearly seasonal pattern. According to CDC data cited in the American Lung Association's recently launched prevention campaign, only 18% of adults received a COVID-19 vaccine during the 2025–26 respiratory virus season — dropping to 31% among adults aged 65–74 and 37% among those 75 and older, the groups at highest risk for severe disease and hospitalization.1 Antiviral treatment is similarly underutilized: use remains below 15% among eligible patients, and only 16% receive treatment within the recommended 5-day window from symptom onset.1

Mora, of Chicago Allergy Center, and a medical expert spokesperson for the American Lung Association, spoke with HCPLive about the campaign and what specialist clinicians can do to close those gaps in their own practices.

COVID-19 has evolved from a pandemic threat into a predictable endemic respiratory virus — one that now circulates in 2 distinct seasonal waves per year, much like influenza and RSV. That shift has direct implications for how clinicians should counsel patients about booster timing. Vaccine-induced antibody protection against severe disease typically wanes over approximately 6 months, meaning the twice-yearly pattern of circulation aligns closely with the protection window from a single vaccine dose. For high-risk patients — those aged 65 and older, and those with chronic lung disease (including asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension), heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or immunocompromising conditions — a summer booster is a clinically reasonable consideration even if they received the fall/winter vaccine. Adults 65 and older are now formally recommended to receive 2 doses of the 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months apart.1

Beyond vaccination, the ALA campaign highlights 2 prophylactic options that remain largely unknown to patients and underutilized even among clinicians. Ensitrelvir is an oral antiviral approved for post-exposure prophylaxis in individuals aged 12 and older who have had close contact with a COVID-19-positive person. It is taken over 5 days, with 3 tablets on day 1 and 1 tablet on days 2 through 5. Pemivibart is an intravenous monoclonal antibody approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis in moderately or severely immunocompromised patients for whom vaccination is likely to be insufficient. Both options represent an underappreciated layer of protection for high-risk populations who may not mount adequate vaccine responses or who face particularly high consequences from breakthrough infection.1

For specialists — pulmonologists, allergists, rheumatologists, cardiologists, and others managing patients with the chronic conditions that confer high COVID-19 risk — Mora emphasized that every clinical encounter represents an opportunity to address vaccination status comprehensively. Reviewing COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccination status at each visit, correcting misconceptions about whether COVID-19 vaccines are still needed, and directing patients to the ALA's eligibility checker at lung.org are all actionable steps that do not require adding time to an already compressed appointment.

Editor’s note: Mora has no relevant disclosures to report.

References

1. American Lung Association. American Lung Association highlights therapeutic options available to prevent and treat COVID-19 [press release]. July 30, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-lung-association-highlights-therapeutic-options-available-to-prevent-and-treat-covid-19-302835975.html
2. American Lung Association. Prevent COVID-19. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/covid-19/prevention. Accessed August 6, 2026.