The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken cognizance of the COVID situation and has approved the use of updated COVID vaccines. The vaccines have been authorized "for emergency use updated COVID-19 vaccines formulated to more closely target currently circulating variants and to provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death," an official statement from the FDA says.
It is said to be effective in newer COVID strains
The vaccine has been manufactured by ModernaTX Inc. and Pfizer Inc. and targets XBB.1.5, descendant of the Omicron strain of the COVID-causing coronavirus. A third vaccine from Novavax (NVAX.O) remains under review. “The companies have said their retooled vaccines have been shown in early testing to work against newer Omicron subvariants now circulating, including the highly mutated BA.2.86,” Reuters reported.
Who can receive it?
Adults and kids above 6 months of age are eligible to receive the vaccine. The individuals can receive a single dose of an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months after the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) has asked everyone who is eligible for the vaccine should take it this fall and winter to avoid potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness.
“Vaccination remains critical to public health and continued protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
COVID-19, RSV, and flu vaccines
The US CDC says that last season who received the COVID-19 vaccine saw greater protection against illness and hospitalization than those who did not take the vaccine. It adds that the vaccine reduces the chance of getting long COVID, which develops during or following acute infection and last for an extended duration.
"This is the first fall and winter virus season where vaccines are available for the three viruses responsible for most hospitalizations – COVID-19, RSV, and flu," the US CDC says.
As per the data available on the US CDC website, EG.5 is the most dominant strain in the US right now followed by XBB and XBB.1.16.
