New COVID booster vaccines built for the latest variants are here and should be more effective. But there are still some unknowns
A new generation of COVID booster shots are now available to most people 12 years of age and older in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration authorized new formulations of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccines for use as a single booster dose just a few weeks ago. That decision was quickly endorsed by an immunization advisory panel at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here is what we know about the makeup, effectiveness and safety of the new vaccine formulations, which are known as bivalent shots because they contain components of two versions of the virus. We’ll also cover a few things that scientists are still trying to figure out. How effective are the boosters? The FDA authorization was based on clinical trials of earlier versions of bivalent boosters , mouse studies of the current bivalent boosters and real-world experience with the COVID mRNA vaccines. Clinical trials of these newest formulations are still being conducted, so their data did not figure into the go-ahead decision. But many scientists contend that the existing studies provide ample evidence of effectiveness.
Though Sette is reassured, some other experts believe that the lack of human data about these particular shots could turn into a problem when it comes to building public trust. Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, says he worries that if people have a concern about the safety or efficacy of the updated boosters, they might not get the shots.
The situation is slightly different if you are immunocompromised—for instance, if you have a weakened immune system because of a current cancer treatment or an organ transplant. In that case, you must have received three primary doses of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, two primary doses of Novavax or one primary dose of Janssen plus an additional dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. No booster is required to be considered fully vaccinated.
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