The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that updated Covid vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax are expected to be available to the public by mid-September.

This timeline is the most specific one provided so far, as federal officials previously indicated that the new shots could arrive around September. The CDC Director, Mandy Cohen, had initially mentioned an “early October time frame” for availability.

However, before the vaccines can be administered, they need approvals from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC, which will also establish eligibility guidelines for receiving the vaccines. On September 12, an independent panel of advisors to the CDC will vote on a recommendation for these guidelines.

The CDC and FDA officials are strongly encouraging Americans to get the updated Covid shot, as well as other key vaccines, before the fall season when respiratory viruses tend to spread more widely. This includes the annual flu shot and recently approved vaccines that protect older adults and infants from respiratory syncytial virus.

The CDC official emphasized the importance of vaccination, stating, “Our goal, our imperative, our task is to make sure we’re using those tools. Vaccination is going to continue to be key this year because immunity wanes and because the Covid-19 virus continues to change.”

The arrival of the updated vaccines brings some reassurance to Americans as the country experiences a slight increase in Covid cases and hospitalizations. However, these metrics remain below the peak levels seen during last year’s summer surge, according to the CDC official.

The current surge in cases is believed to be driven by newer strains of the virus, such as EG.5 or Eris, an omicron subvariant that accounted for 17.3% of all cases as of last week.

The updated vaccines developed by Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax target the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, which is gradually declining nationwide. Initial trial data from all three drugmakers suggest that the new shots will still provide protection against EG.5.

An FDA official mentioned that one of the manufacturers has confirmed robust neutralization of EG.5 by their vaccine. However, it is uncertain how well the new vaccines will protect against another omicron strain called BA.2.86, which has been detected in a small number of cases in the U.S., U.K., Denmark, and Israel.

While more information will be available in the coming weeks, the FDA official stated that the new vaccines are likely to provide protection against severe outcomes from the Covid virus.

Last week, the World Health Organization and the CDC announced that they are closely monitoring BA.2.86 due to its 36 distinguishing mutations from XBB.1.5. Currently, there is no evidence suggesting that BA.2.86 spreads faster or causes more severe infections than previous variants.