The agency is asking drugmakers to have the updated shots ready by October for a fall booster campaign.
“As we move into the fall and winter, it is critical that we have safe and effective vaccine boosters that can provide protection against circulating and emerging variants to prevent the most severe consequences of Covid-19,” Marks said.
The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants — considered the most contagious forms of the virus to date — made up about 52% of all new Covid cases in the United States for the week ending June 25, according to the. That same week, BA.1, the original omicron variant, made up 0% percent of new cases. Pfizer told NBC News in a statement that it could have an updated vaccine that targets BA.4 and BA.5 ready to be distributed by the first week of October.
The federal government is hoping that updating the vaccines to better match circulating strains will improve the shots’ effectiveness and perhaps provide longer-lasting immunity. The approach is similar to the one used for the flu shot, which is updated each year to target the strains scientists predict will be the most predominant.in favor of recommending that booster shots include a component that targets the omicron variant.
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