CDC confirms updated COVID boosters target Omicron strains, clearing way for footage to begin soon
New COVID-19 boosters targeting today’s most common omicron strains set to start soon after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmation updated photo Thursday.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky’s decision came shortly after agency advisers said if enough people rolled up their sleeves, the footage could reduce winter spikes.
“They can help restore protection that has weakened since a previous vaccination and are designed to provide broader protection,” she said in a statement.
The Refined photos made by Pfizer and opponents Moderna gives Americans the opportunity to get the most up-to-date protection at another critical time of the pandemic. They are combination or “bivalent” shots – half the original vaccine and half protecting against the omicron versions BA.4 and BA.5 that now cause nearly all COVID-19 infections- 19.
CDC advisors have struggled with who should get the new booster and when because only a similarly adapted vaccine, not the exact formulation, has been studied so far in the study. People.
But in the end the panel found this to be the best option considering that the United States is still experiencing tens of thousands of COVID-19 infections and about 500 deaths a day – even before a new winter wave is expected. ants.
“I think they will be an effective tool for disease prevention this fall and into the winter,” said CDC advisor Dr. Matthew Daley of Kaiser Permanente Colorado.
Comparatively the tweak was studied in humans and the method the US would actually use, “it’s the same scaffolding, part of the same roof, we just put some moisture-proof equipment and the door book,” said Dr Sarah Long of Drexel University.
The CDC is expected to adopt that recommendation soon, the final step before filming can begin. Pfizer said it expected to deliver 3 million doses to vaccination sites nationwide by Tuesday.
Initial COVID-19 vaccines still provide strong protection against serious illness and death, especially in younger and healthier people who have received at least one booster dose.
But those vaccines are designed to target the strain of the virus circulating in early 2020. The effectiveness drops as new mutations emerge and more time passes since someone’s last shot. . Since April, hospitalization rates among people over 65 have skyrocketed, the CDC says.
The new up-to-date shots are used only as a booster shot, not to give someone the first vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration has removed Pfizer’s double-sided option for people 12 years of age and older while Moderna is only for adults.
One big unknown: exactly how much people would benefit from one of those extra shots.
The CDC says more than 1,400 people were included in several studies of earlier adaptations to a vaccine formulation that targeted an earlier omicron strain called BA.1. That omicron-targeted combo shot has proven safe and can boost antibodies against the virus, and Europe Regulators on Thursday recommended that type of turbocharger be used.
In the United States, the FDA wants fall enhancers to target currently circulating omicron strains. Instead of waiting until November to be able to finish more human studies, the agency accepted testing in mice showing that the newer tweak produces a similarly good immune response.
That’s how the flu vaccine is updated every year, the CDC notes.
Dr. Pablo Sanchez of Ohio State University was the only CDC advisor to vote against recommending the shots. He said he believes the bivalent vaccine is safe and that he is likely to receive it.
But “I just feel that this is a bit premature” due to the lack of human data on how well it works, he said.
Some CDC advisors say that to get the maximum benefit, people will need to wait longer between their last shot and their new booster than the two-month minimum set by the FDA. They say waiting at least three months would be better.
One more change: The FDA is no longer allowing the use of the original formula booster for anyone 12 years of age or older – a potential source of confusion for people who were planning to use the booster regularly for a while. this week and now may have to wait for the new type to arrive at their local pharmacy or clinic.
It’s unclear how many people will want an updated footage. Only half of vaccinated Americans received the first recommended booster, and only one-third of those 50 years of age and older who requested a second booster did so.
The US government bought 170 million doses from both companies – the pictures will be free – and the CDC says 200 million people may be eligible.
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