Posted by As COVID-19 infections are on the rise again, the United States on Monday approved vaccine formulations that more accurately target presently circulating strains.
Moderna and Pfizer have received new licenses to sell modified vaccines that are part of an Omicron sublineage. The FDA has determined that, for children aged 6 months and up, the benefits of vaccinations are greater than the dangers involved.
Senior FDA official Peter Marks emphasized the need of vaccination, saying, “Vaccination remains critical to public health and continued protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death.”
Both manufacturers have issued comments suggesting they anticipate widespread vaccine availability within the next few days.
Clinical recommendations for who should receive the new vaccines will be provided during a meeting of an expert group convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tomorrow.
However, it is believed that the CDC will provide guidelines consistent with the administration of former Vice President Joe Biden, who has long advocated for annual Covid boosters for most Americans.
In most of Europe, boosters are only indicated for those who are at higher risk, such as the elderly or those with preexisting illnesses.
Countries like the UK, France, and Germany are good examples of this.
Vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizers are designed to protect against XBB.1.5, a strain that has essentially disappeared from circulation in the United States. However, the FDA noted that it is effective even against more modern strains like EG.5 and BA.2.86.
Americans should still be able to get the new vaccines for free thanks to private insurance and government-subsidized programs, even after the WHO and the United States withdrew their public health declarations of emergency in May., regardless of cause, has been relatively stable.