US regulators have allowed a second round of Omicron-guided boosters for individuals over 65 and those with compromised immune systems.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that older adults can get another updated Covid-19 dose four months after their first bivalent booster dose, while people who are immunocompromised can get one at least two months after their last dose. The FDA said additional doses for those who are immunocompromised may be given at their healthcare provider’s discretion.
The agency is also streamlining the vaccination schedule by authorizing the use of bivalent shots produced by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. For all doses of the Covid vaccine, it also phased out the vaccines that were used at the beginning of the epidemic. A group of advisers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is meeting Wednesday to discuss changes made by the Food and Drug Administration.
Adults, children and infants under six months old can get an updated booster dose as soon as two months after their last Covid vaccine. Last year’s latest shot was reformulated to target the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of omicron that were prevalent in fall. Only 17% of those eligible received an updated booster dose, according to the data From the Centers for Disease Control. According to the data, about 43% of adults age 65 and older have received the most recent booster dose.
Health officials plan to meet each June to review which virus strains should be included in Covid shots that will be released no later than September of the same year. In January, FDA advisors also voted to standardize Covid vaccines, so that all doses are formulated to target the same strains of the virus.
During a briefing with reporters on Tuesday, Peter Marksdirector of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the agency is closely monitoring two new omicrons variantscalled Arcturus and Hyperion, which will be the subject of discussion during the next June meeting.
This meeting will also include a discussion about the cadence of vaccination in the future and whether it should reflect annual flu shots.
The goal, Marks said, is to “try to protect as many people as possible during the season when respiratory viruses tend to wreak havoc, which is the fall to winter months of the year.”
The United States is working with governments across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to align the selection of Covid vaccine strains as closely as possible, Marks said at a recent conference in Washington.