Dr. Celine Gowner on the Omicron Booster Vaccine
At least one Department of US adults may getCOVID-19shots that will be updated this fall. With a government adviser voting on Tuesday, it's time to tweak the booster effect to better match the latest viral variants.
Food and Drug Administration advisors are working on ways to change doses when there is no way to know how a rapidly changing virus will evolve by the fall. In particular, those who get the recommended boosters today remain strongly protected from COVID. 19 worst results.
Finally, in 19-2, the FDA panel should include a version of the hyperinfectious Omicron variant in the COVID-19 booster in preparation for the expected fall booster campaign. I voted.
"Wait longer, you'll be behind the eight-ball," said Dr. Mark Sawyer of the University of California, San Diego. Diego.
The FDA needs to determine the exact recipe, but expects a combination shot that adds protection to either Omicron or its new relatives to the original vaccine.
To find out the next threatening variant, "None of us have a crystal ball," said Dr. Peter Markes, FDA Vaccine Chief. However, it is not a much older strain of virus, but "at least it may be able to react to what is circulating in the immune system."
It's not clear to whom the fine-tuned boosters will be offered — it can only be encouraged by the elderly or those at high risk of the virus. However, the FDA is expected to decide on recipe changes within a few days, and Pfizer and Moderna will need to seek approval for appropriately updated doses. This is the time for health authorities to decide on an autumn strategy.
The currentCOVID-19 vaccine has saved millions of lives worldwide. Due to the booster effect, those used in the United States maintain strong protection against hospitalization and death, but when Omicron emerged, their ability to stop infection was significantly reduced. And the Omicron mutant that caused the winter surge was replaced by its genetically distinct relatives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two modern Omicron cousins, called BA.4 and BA.5, currently account for half of the cases in the United States.
Pfizer and Moderna have already brewed boosters to add protection to the first Omicron mutants. Their combination shot, which scientists call a "divalent" vaccine, has significantly increased the level of antibodies that can fight the mutant, not just an additional dose of today's vaccine.
Both companies have found that fine-tuned shots provide some cross-protection against these anxious BA.4 and BA.5 mutants, but not so much. There wasn't.
Many scientists favor a combined approach to maintain the proven benefits of the original vaccine, such as cross-protection against other mutants that occur during a pandemic.
The problem facing the FDA is changing the correct recipe. The two companies said there were a lot of combo shots targeting Omicron by October, but Moderna said switching to targeting Omicron's latest relatives could delay the version by another month. ..
Further complicating the decision is that only half of the vaccinated Americans receive that very important first booster. According to the CDC, protection against hospitalization has fallen below some of the elderly, but a second booster recommended for people over the age of 50 seems to recover it. However, only a quarter of those eligible for additional boosters have won one.
Marks hopes that by fine-tuning the shots, "we can convince people to get boosters that help boost the immune response and prevent the next wave." I did.
Logistics becomes difficult. Many Americans, including just-qualified infants, have not yet been vaccinated for the first time. And it is not clear whether regulated booster immunity will ultimately lead to a change in the primary vaccine. However, an FDA adviser said it was also important to study the latest vaccine recipes for children.
And another complexity: The third company, Novavax, is waiting for FDA approval for a protein-based shot, a more traditional type of COVID-19 vaccine. Novavax argued Tuesday that the usual vaccine booster promises an excellent immune response to the new Omicron variant without changing the recipe.
A World Health Organization adviser recently said that fine-tuned shots at Omicron should be of greatest benefit only as a booster, as they should broaden the range of mutual protection for people against multiple variants. ..
"We don't want the world to lose confidence in the vaccines currently available," said Dr. Cantasabvarao, a virologist who chairs the WHO Commission.
- In:
- COVID-19 vaccine
- covid-19 Pandemic
- Coronavirus
Thank you for reading CBS NEWS.
Create a free account or log in to
to take advantage of other features.
