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On Wednesday, Aug. 31, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated versions of COVID booster shots made by Pfizer and Moderna that target the highly contagious BA.5 Omicron subvariant.
The updated vaccine boosters are designed to give people broad protection against COVID and can help protect against severe illness, hospitalization, and death, the FDA said in a statement.
Pfizer’s modified booster was authorized for people ages 12 and older, while Moderna’s shot was approved for those 18 and up.
People who have received their initial series of either vaccine, plus one or two boosters, are eligible for the updated shots as long as two months have passed since their last shot, the FDA said.
The agency said the BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the Omicron variant are currently causing most cases of COVID-19 in the US and are predicted to circulate this fall and winter.
“The COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, continue to save countless lives and prevent the most serious outcomes (hospitalization and death) of COVID-19,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said.
“As we head into fall and begin to spend more time indoors, we strongly encourage anyone who is eligible to consider receiving a booster dose with a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine to provide better protection against currently circulating variants.”
Having secured FDA approval, the decision will now go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose authorization is required before pharmacies can dole out the shots.
The CDC’s advisory committee is scheduled to meet Thursday, Sept. 1, and issue its recommendations.
For more information on COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, visit the New York State Department of Health website.
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