Booster shots of coronavirus vaccine, New coronavirus boosters are just around the corner following authorization Wednesday by federal regulators. The updated shots are designed to provide a stronger shield against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants still causing tens of thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths every day in the United States.
The boosters will be part of a campaign by the federal government, to be kicked off within days, to persuade Americans to bolster their immune defenses before a potential surge in covid-19 cases as cooler weather arrives in the fall. booster shots of coronavirus vaccine, Food and Drug Administration officials say some forecasting models predict an increase in cases in coming months, with a peak in late November or early December.The boosters, after receiving emergency use authorization from the FDA, now have to get the blessing of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its advisers. That review is scheduled for Thursday. If all goes as expected, some shots could be available this weekend, with more available right after Labor Day.The new boosters, which are intended as single shots, will be available at the same places where the previous boosters and vaccines have been available at doctors offices, hospitals, pharmacies and community health clinics.Like the previous coronavirus shots, the updated boosters have been purchased by the federal government and will be free to consumers. The booster can be administered at the same time as other vaccines, such as the annual flu shot, and takes about two weeks to be fully effective.No. The FDA said people who recently received their initial vaccine or a booster should wait at least two months before getting the updated booster. Getting the new booster too soon could limit its effectiveness.That remains unclear at the moment.
FDA officials say they believe the vaccine will be more effective against omicron but acknowledge they need more data to know for sure. “The proof will be in the pudding,” FDA Commissioner Robert M. booster shots of coronavirus vaccine, The original vaccine, which hadn’t been updated since it became available in late December 2020, targeted the virus that emerged from Wuhan, China, a strain that is no longer circulating. Human data on the new recipe won’t be available for another month or two, officials said, until clinical trials are complete. Mice studies, which are used in updating the flu vaccine every year, showed a substantial increase in virus-fighting antibodies against the omicron mutations. FDA officials also considered human data from previous experimental bivalent vaccines. Agency officials and many other scientists believe the new booster, which includes components from the original vaccine as well as components zeroing in on BA.4 and BA.5, will be a better match for today’s threat.The agency did not want to wait for clinical trials, which would have delayed deployment of the updated booster as cold weather approached. Officials said they are confident about the shot’s safety given the extensive use of mRNA vaccines.
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