The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Thursday officially recognized Updated on COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer and modernnew vaccines are expected to reach most Americans in the coming days summer peak Viral.
The vaccines target a strain called KP.2, a descendant of the highly contagious omicron subvariant JN.1 that began circulating widely in the United States earlier this year. KP.2 was the dominant Covid strain in May but now accounts for only about 3% As of Saturday, there were 11,000 cases in the U.S., according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Still, Pfizer and Moderna said their KP.2 vaccine could target other circulating subvariants of JN.1, such as KP.3 and LB.1, compared with last year’s vaccine against the omicron strain XBB.1.5 Stronger immune response..
“Given the continued waning of immunity due to prior exposure to the virus and prior vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving newer COVID-19 vaccines that offer greater protection against currently circulating variants. ,” Director Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention respected This year, everyone over 6 months old will get the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna’s new vaccine is specifically approved for people ages 12 and older, with emergency use authorization for children 6 months to 11 years old.
Pfizer said in a statement that it will begin shipping its new vaccine immediately and expects it to be available in pharmacies, hospitals and clinics across the United States “beginning in the coming days.” Moderna expects the product to be available in the coming days, according to a statement.
“Timely vaccination against COVID-19 remains one of the best ways to protect people and prevent severe disease,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement. “We appreciate the FDA’s timely review and encourage Individuals contact their health care provider about receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccine along with their flu shot this fall.”
The FDA approval comes weeks ahead of last year’s shot, which the agency approved on Sept. 11.
The early arrival of newer vaccines may provide some relief to Americans as the virus numbers in the U.S. have been relatively high this summer. “High” or “very high” coronavirus concentrations reported in wastewater in nearly every state CDC data. As other forms of testing decline, wastewater monitoring gives us a sense of how widespread the virus is in the United States.
The summer wave of coronavirus is likely to wane when the vaccine reaches patients’ arms and kicks off an immune response against the virus, which typically takes two weeks after vaccination.
Still, federal health officials have long told Americans to expect COVID-19 vaccines to be updated every year as the virus creates new strains that can evade immunity from people’s previous vaccinations or infections — a protection that The effects will diminish over time. This is similar to how the U.S. rolls out a new flu vaccine every year.
It’s unclear how many Americans will actually roll up their sleeves and try again in the coming months.
According to statistics, only about 22.5% of U.S. adults received the latest round of vaccinations launched last fall CDC data to early May.
Many Americans who received previous rounds of COVID-19 vaccines said they were not getting the latest booster shots because they lacked concern about the virus, according to a report in November. Survey by health policy research institute KFF. Others said they were too busy to get the shot, the survey showed.
In June, the FDA asked vaccine manufacturers to produce a vaccine for JN.1, then told them to change the target to KP.2 “if feasible.”
This change seems to make NovavaxIn the same month, the company applied for authorization of the new JN.1 lens, but was at a disadvantage. The FDA has not yet approved the biotech’s vaccine.
Novavax said in a statement that it is working “productively” with the FDA as it completes its review. Novavax expects its vaccine to be authorized in time for peak U.S. vaccination season
The company noted that its vaccine provides protection against descendants of JN.1, including KP.2.3, KP.3, KP.3.1.1 and LB.1.
Novavax makes a protein-based vaccine that cannot be quickly updated to target another strain of the virus. Protein-based technology is a decades-old method used for routine vaccination against hepatitis B and shingles.
Meanwhile, vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna use messenger RNA technology, which teaches cells how to make proteins that trigger an immune response against the coronavirus. mRNA vaccines are easier to develop and update than protein vaccines.
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