The Food and Drug Administration could approve new COVID-19 booster shots at any time, as part of a trio of vaccines to be launched with the goal of avoiding a “tripledemic” of COVID, RSV and influenza during the fall and winter.
Citing sources, NBC News reported Thursday that the FDA could give the green light to updated versions of boosters as soon as Friday, but said the deadline for authorization could be pushed back to next week.
After FDA approval, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its advisory committee will issue their own recommendations on who should receive the vaccines and how they should be used.
The agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is expected to vote at a meeting scheduled Tuesday. CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen could approve booster doses soon after the meeting, allowing vaccinations to begin immediately.
While guidance is expected soon, COVID is surging in many places, including Illinois, leading many to wonder if they should take action sooner rather than later.
The question that arises is: if you are not up to date on your vaccines, should you wait until the new vaccines are released or get the ones that are currently available?
Dr. Allison Arwady, who was relieved of her duties as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health last month, previously spoke about COVID vaccine boosters in a wide-ranging interview with NBC Chicago, urging Illinoisans to consider postponing vaccination.
Flu season typically begins in September with children returning to school, while allergies spike due to the change of season. But to this cocktail is added a rebound in COVID-19 cases. Differentiating symptoms and treatments can be challenging. Mariana Reyes spoke with experts who will help you differentiate if it is a simple allergy or a respiratory disease.
“You should wait. We anticipate a new vaccine will be available in late September or early October,” he said in August. “That will be an update. That will be the newest version to help combat Omicron and the subvariants of it, which we are seeing more recently.”
Illinois Department of Public Health officials said last month that new guidelines would be released and explained that a specific change in wording will lead to updated standards.
“The FDA has directed drug manufacturers to develop a new monovalent COVID-19 booster targeting the dominant strain of the XBB.1.5 virus,” officials said.
Currently, COVID booster shots and initial doses are formulated as “bivalent” vaccines, meaning they offer protection against both the original strain of COVID that affected the US in 2020 and the Omicron variants known as BA.4 and BA.5, which were the most recent dominant strains of the virus.
The new monovalent vaccine doses will specifically target the XBB.1.5 strain, the latest dominant strain to impact the United States, according to officials.
Regarding current guidelines for COVID vaccines, it is recommended that anyone six months or older get the COVID vaccine.
Those who are not fully vaccinated are urged to receive a total of three doses of the Moderna or Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, with four weeks between each dose.
It is recommended that anyone who has received their initial doses receive a bivalent booster dose of the vaccine, while those who are immunocompromised could receive a second booster dose if their doctor recommends it.
If you need information about your COVID vaccination history, you can visit Vax Verify through IDPH and you will receive that information.
2023-09-10 15:27:39
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