Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is once again seeking authorization for its new COVID-19 vaccine that adds protection against the newest omicron variants- intended for the fall booster drive.
This new update comes on the heels of the fact that the Food and Drug Administration ordered vaccine makers to tweak their shots to target BA.4 and BA.5 which are better than ever at dodging immunity from earlier vaccination or infection.
If the FDA quickly clears these combo shots by Pfizer, boosters meant for the fall could be offered within weeks. “It’s going to be really important that people this fall and winter get the new shots. It’s designed for the virus that’s out there,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said last week.
Source: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
The U.S. already has a contract to buy 105 million of the updated Pfizer doses as soon as health authorities greenlight them, and the company said doses are ready to ship.
On the other hand, Moderna is expected to file a similar application soon, and the U.S. has a contract to buy 66 million doses of its updated vaccine.
Britain, in comparison, has, a week ago become the first in the world to authorize a different update to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines — shots that add protection against the original omicron that struck last winter. Following suit, the US is gearing up for a possible surge in infection rates this winter with these upcoming approvals.
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