WASHINGTON — The United States on Monday approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine, hoping to increase protection against the latest coronavirus strains and curb a surge in vaccinations this fall and winter.
FDA decision opens latest shots From Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to most Americans even if they have never received a coronavirus vaccine. This is part of a shift toward updating COVID-19 vaccines in the fall, much like getting the flu shot every year.
One more step: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must sign off. A CDC advisory panel will issue recommendations Tuesday on who needs the updated vaccine most. Vaccinations may begin later this week, and COVID-19 and flu shots can be given at the same visit.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have been increasing since late summer, although they are not as high as this time last year due to lasting immunity from previous vaccinations and infections.
But over time, protection wears off, and the coronavirus keeps developing new variants that can evade previous immunity. It’s been a year since the vaccine was last adjusted.
Like previous vaccinations, the autumn vaccination is available for adults and children as young as 6 months old. Starting at age 5, most people can get a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have never had a shot before, the FDA said. Young children may need additional doses depending on their COVID-19 infection and vaccination history.
The latest shooting target is an omicron variant called XBB.1.5. That particular strain is no longer dominant, but it is close enough to the coronavirus strains that cause most COVID-19 illness today that the FDA determined it would provide good cross-protection.
These latest vaccines replace combination vaccines that offered mixed protection against the original coronavirus strain and even older omicron variants. Like earlier versions, they are expected to best protect against severe illness, hospitalization and death, rather than minor infections.
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The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science & Education Media Group. The Associated Press is solely responsible for all content.
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