US authorizes updated version of Covid-19 vaccines

U.S. health authorities on Thursday approved an updated version of the Covid-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna.

The new formula should make it possible to better attack the variants currently circulating, reducing the risk of hospitalization or death, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported.

Vaccines will be available for administration from six months of age and in case of recent vaccination it will be necessary to wait at least two months to receive the booster dose.

Covid-19 cases have been on the rise since June in the United States, which is already preparing for the winter epidemic season.

Pfizer and Moderna say their vaccine will be available in American pharmacies and hospitals “in the coming days.”

“There have been more than 600,000 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in the United States during the 2023-24 season,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.

“Staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine is still one of the best ways to stay protected,” she added.

The United States carries out an annual vaccination campaign against Covid-19, as it does for influenza.

Announcement

But only 22.5% of adults and 14% of children have received the updated vaccine dose for the 2023-2024 season, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).