US greenlights third dose of COVID-19 vaccine amid surge in infections
FDA Approves Updated COVID-19 Booster Shots as Experts Debate Need for Annual Boosters
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated COVID-19 booster shots, setting the stage for a fall vaccine push to combat the still-circulating virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide recommendations this week, with companies ready to roll out the doses soon after.
Public health efforts to vaccinate individuals against the virus come amid an uptick in cases and hospitalizations, though nowhere near pandemic levels, as new variants continue to emerge and circulate the globe.
Some experts, however, say that annual boosters may not be necessary.
"The annual booster idea is out of convenience but not supported by the data of waning immunity after six months," said Dr. Eric Topol, director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California.
Other experts, such as Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), say that protection from memory cells is sufficient to protect against severe disease for most healthy Americans.
"It looks like we still have 80% to 85% conservation (with the BA.2.86 variant), that's why you're still protected against severe disease," Offit said.
The debate over the need for annual boosters is likely to continue, but the FDA's approval of updated booster shots is a sign that the agency is preparing for the possibility of another wave of COVID-19 cases this fall.
US Faces Challenges in Timing, Targeting COVID-19 Booster Shots
The United States is facing challenges in timing and targeting COVID-19 booster shots, as the virus continues to evolve and the country experiences two waves of cases per year.
The FDA has authorized mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech for use as boosters, but the timing of these shots has been criticized by some experts, who say they should have been available sooner to combat the current wave of cases.
The CDC is also facing challenges in determining who should get boosters, as there is not enough data to say definitively who is most at risk of severe disease.
In addition, the US market for COVID-19 vaccines is not as vast and global as it was during the pandemic, which could make it more difficult to get shots to people who need them.
Despite these challenges, the Biden administration is hoping that making booster shots available will encourage more people to get vaccinated. However, it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to overcome the challenges of timing, targeting, and access.
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