FDA approves new updated vaccines against COVID

Approval of Updated COVID-19 Vaccines

Public Health Strategy

Protection Against Emerging Variants

The United States took a crucial step in its continued fight against COVID-19 by approving new vaccines this Monday, September 11.

Which are updated and designed to combat the latest strains of the coronavirus.

Hoping to speed up protection and curb any rise in cases over the fall and winter.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the latest vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer in collaboration with BioNTech.

FDA approves COVID vaccines

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This vaccine decision, as reported by The Associated Press, represents a significant shift in the vaccination strategy.

It allows most Americans to access these new vaccines, even if they’ve never been vaccinated against the coronavirus before.

Similar to the annual flu shot, fall updates to the COVID-19 vaccine will become a crucial part of the public health strategy.

However, before the updated vaccines are made available to the general public, they must undergo another step.

CDC must give approval

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must also give their approval for the updated vaccines.

A CDC advisory panel is set to issue recommendations on Tuesday regarding who should receive these new vaccines.

Vaccinations are anticipated to commence later this week.

Importantly, it’s highlighted that both the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine can be administered during the same medical visit.

Getting ready for autumn and winter

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As fall and winter approach, the country has observed a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations since the end of summer.

While immunity from vaccines and prior infections has helped maintain hospitalization numbers lower than last year, protection against the virus decreases over time.

Additionally, as new variants of the coronavirus surface, there’s potential for them to evade current immunity.

Given that it’s been a year since the last COVID-19 vaccine update, this recent approval is indeed timely.

Aimed at different ages

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The latest vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech are designed for both adults and children as young as 6 months.

According to the FDA, most individuals aged 5 and older can receive a single dose, irrespective of whether they’ve previously been vaccinated against COVID-19.

For children younger than this, the requirement for additional doses will hinge on their history of COVID-19 infections and vaccinations.

The new vaccines are tailored to protect against a particular variant named XBB.1.5, which is not the dominant strain at present.

Fight against latest strains

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The vaccines are closely matched to the coronavirus strains responsible for the majority of current COVID-19 cases.

According to the Associated Press, the FDA believes these vaccines will provide substantial cross-protection against newly emerging strains.

These latest doses will supplant the combination vaccines that protected against the original coronavirus strain and earlier omicron variants.

The updated vaccines are anticipated to be highly efficient in preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and fatalities.

Vaccination strategy

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The approval of these updated vaccines marks a significant milestone in the USA’s ongoing battle against COVID-19.

These vaccines will offer an added layer of protection to the public and assist in curbing the spread of the virus.

The CDC needs to give its recommendations before the nationwide rollout of these vaccines can commence.

With these vaccines in place, it is anticipated that the populace will approach the winter season with increased assurance against the disease.