New vaccines for the COVID-19 omicron BA.1 subvariant are scheduled to be available from mid-October in Japan after a health ministry panel gave the plan a preliminary green light, raising hopes that the population will soon be better protected against the highly infectious omicron variant.

Other countries are also in the process of approving vaccines that are more effective against the omicron variant — some targeting the BA.1 subvariant and others the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. But how effective are the new shots compared to current vaccines, and who is eligible to receive them? Here’s what we know so far:

Who is eligible to get the shots?