Main Topic: Pfizer's updated Covid boosters could be authorized by the FDA by the end of August.
Key Points:
1. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla stated that the FDA could authorize the updated Covid boosters by the end of August.
2. Pfizer and Moderna requested the FDA to update their shots to target the XBB.1.5 subvariant, as advised by the FDA.
3. Covid hospitalizations are rising in the US, and Bourla expects a new Covid wave to start in the fall.
Main topic: Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine shows efficacy against omicron subvariants.
Key points:
1. Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine boosts neutralizing antibodies against omicron subvariants EG.5 and FL.1.5.1.
2. The booster shot is expected to be authorized and rolled out soon.
3. The preliminary trial data aims to reassure concerns about the vaccine's effectiveness against current variants.
Main Topic: Global disease experts are monitoring a new variant, BA.2.86, that carries a large number of mutations and may be capable of sidestepping vaccine protection to some degree.
Key Points:
1. BA.2.86 is significantly different from the original Omicron variant and the previously dominant strain targeted by upcoming Covid booster shots.
2. Only a handful of cases of the BA.2.86 variant have been identified globally, but it is being closely monitored by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
3. It is uncertain how transmissible BA.2.86 is, but experts believe it is capable of evading antibodies from prior infections and vaccinations. The impact of BA.2.86 on booster shots and case counts is still unknown.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax to be available to the public in mid-September, providing a more specific timeline for the arrival of the shots, pending approvals from the FDA and CDC.
An updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine designed to target the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, known as Kraken, is expected to be released earlier than anticipated, potentially by mid-September, as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rise across California and the US.
The U.S. is experiencing a rise in Covid cases just as new vaccines that protect against the latest variants are almost ready.
Moderna's updated Covid vaccine has shown a strong immune response against the highly mutated omicron variant BA.2.86, suggesting that the vaccine will still be effective against newer variants of the virus.
Two new Covid shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have been approved by the FDA and are expected to be available soon as cases continue to rise in some parts of the US, with preliminary research suggesting they offer protection against the dominant variant and other concerning variants.
The FDA has approved updated COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots, targeting new variants, and making them available for Americans as young as 6 months old from Moderna and Pfizer.
A new COVID-19 vaccine has been approved and is being distributed nationwide, with doctors and elected leaders urging everyone to get vaccinated as we head into the fall and winter months.
The FDA has approved an updated version of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, which is effective against Omicron strains and may have fewer side effects compared to mRNA vaccines.
The FDA has authorized a new Novavax vaccine that uses a protein targeting method to protect against the Omicron variant, providing an alternative option to the mRNA vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer.
