WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. governor on Thursday approved updated COVID-19 vaccines designed to more accurately deal with recent strains of the virus and, hopefully, any other variants that cause problems this winter.
With approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pfizer and Moderna will begin distributing millions of doses. Novavax, a third US manufacturer, expects to have its modified version of the vaccine available soon after.
“We strongly urge eligible people to consider getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine for better protection against the currently circulating variants,” said FDA Chief Vaccine Officer Dr. Peter Marks.
The group’s decision came just ahead of the distribution of updated COVID-19 vaccines last year, as most of the country is currently experiencing a summer surge of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already recommended that everyone six months of age and older get vaccinated this summer. Vaccines may be available within a few days.
Although most Americans have some level of immunity from previous infections, vaccines, or both, that immunity is waning. Last fall’s vaccines targeted a different part of the coronavirus family tree, a strain that no longer circulates, and CDC data show that only about 22.5% of adults and 14% of it’s small children.
Skipping the new vaccine is “dangerous behavior,” because even if a person’s last infection was mild, the next one could be worse or leave symptoms of long-lasting COVID, the Dr. Robert Hopkins Jr. of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
2024-08-22 19:10:00
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