The U.S. on Wednesday authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today’s most common omicron strain.
will blunt yet another winter surge — and help tamp down the BA.5 omicron relative that continues to spread widely.
The updated boosters are only for people who have already had their primary vaccinations, using the original vaccines. Doses made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are for anyone 12 and older while Moderna's updated shots are for adults — if it has been at least two months since their last primary vaccination or their latest booster. They're not to be used for initial vaccinations.
Here’s the rub: The original vaccines still offer strong protection against severe disease and death from COVID-19 for generally healthy people, especially if they got that important first booster dose. It’s not clear just how much more benefit an updated booster will bring — beyond a temporary jump in antibodies capable of fending off an omicron infection.
FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks stressed the agency considered “the totality” of evidence. Pfizer and Moderna have previously brewed vaccine doses updated to match earlier mutants — including the omicron strain named BA.1 that struck last winter — and tested them in people. Those earlier recipe changes were safe, and the BA.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How to check if your at-home COVID test has expiredYes, COVID tests expire, but yours may still have some shelf life. Make sure your test is still good by using the FDA database. Here's how.
Read more »
Column: GOP ratchets up the hypocrisy in opposing Biden's student debt plan'It’s well past time for the critics of student debt relief to get honest about their real purpose. It’s to protect wealthier Americans who fear their income taxes will have to rise to pay for that relief,' writes hiltzikm.
Read more »
The Government Is Ending Free Access to At-Home COVID-19 Tests This WeekThe Government Is Ending Free Access to COVID-19 Tests: What You Need to Know
Read more »
Populous Chinese cities including Shenzhen ramp up COVID curbsSeveral big Chinese cities escalated COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday, with Shenzhen closing more businesses and Dalian locking down millions, renewing economic uncertainty and delaying the start of the school year for some.
Read more »
Josh Shapiro breaks with Democrats on COVID policies in Pennsylvania governor’s raceAs attorney general, Josh Shapiro went to court repeatedly to defend Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration against legal challenges to his pandemic-era mandates and shutdowns.
Read more »
When We Rose to Fight COVID, We Were Deliberately Turned Against Each OtherThere was a time when we came together to fight COVID, but that energy threatened the status quo more than the virus.
Read more »