FDA backs changing Covid booster shots to target most recent omicron
There hasn’t been enough research on how much protection a fourth dose can offer, medical professionals told CNBC.
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The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said vaccine manufacturers should update their Covid-19 booster shots to target the most recent omicron subvariants that are gaining ground in the U.S.
Dr. Peter Marks, head of the FDA’s vaccine division, said manufacturers should update their shots to target omicron BA.4 and BA.5 in addition to the original strain of the virus that first emerged in Wuhan, China in 2019.
The FDA’s panel of independent experts voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to recommend a vaccine switch after an all-day meeting in which they evaluated the benefits and downsides of updating the shots.
Marks said the two dose primary vaccination series will not change for now. The FDA wants to update the booster shots to provide more durable protection ahead of the fall, when public health experts expect another wave of infection as immunity from the vaccines wanes and people head indoors to escape the weather. Covid spreads more easily indoors.
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