Barring the emergence of drastically different variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 boosters would likely be recommended annually in a similar manner to influenza vaccines, US health officials said on Tuesday.
The announcement came after the US Food and Drug Administration last week authorized updated bivalent shots against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and the BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of its Omicron variant, which are predominant.
“We likely are moving towards a path with a vaccination cadence similar to that of the annual influenza vaccine, with annual updated COVID-19 shots matched to the currently circulating strains,” US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci told reporters.
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However, elderly and immunocompromised people might require more frequent shots — and the annual strategy would have to be reviewed in case of a “curveball” such as a dangerous new variant that differs dramatically from predictions.
White House COVID-19 coordinator Ashish Jha said the message was “simple” — if you are 12 or older, and have been previously vaccinated, now is the time to get a booster.
If you were recently infected or vaccinated, “it’s reasonable to wait a few months,” he added.
People can get their COVID-19 booster at the same time as the flu booster, he said.
Officials expect millions of people to receive their bivalent boosters, made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, this month, and are focused especially on people aged 50 or older.
“Winter is not that far away. The past two years, we have seen COVID-19 cases and deaths soar. It does not have to be that way this year,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement. “If you are 12 and older, go get your new COVID-19 shot this fall.”
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walenksky said projections showed that uptake of COVID-19 boosters at rates similar to annual flu coverage could prevent as many as 100,000 hospitalizations and 9,000 deaths.
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