Latest COVID vaccine will help people 'move on' from the pandemic, White House's Jha says

With the Biden administration urging people to get both a COVID-19 booster and a flu shot as soon as possible, the White House's Dr. Ashish Jha said Sunday that updated vaccinations will help people "move on" from the pandemic.

"It’s been, obviously, a long two and a half years for Americans, and we understand that people want to move on," Jha told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz of the virus that has killed more than 1 million people in the U.S. "The good news is people can move on if they keep their immunity up to date."

Jha, the White House COVID-19 coordinator, added that despite low booster rates so far, he believes there will be an increase in vaccinations in the coming weeks as the holiday season continues.

Jha also emphasized that the updated COVID-19 booster provides protection from a new subvariant of omicron, which has been rapidly spreading across Massachusetts and, according to experts, accounts for nearly 40% of the current cases there.

“One of the many reasons why I think it's critical for Americans to go get the new updated COVID vaccine is it's not going to just protect you against the virus that's been out there, but it's also going to protect you against these new subvariants that are emerging,” he said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Latest COVID vaccine will help people 'move on' from the pandemic, White House's Jha says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com