US Food and Drug Administration approved and granted emergency permit Thursday for updated covid-19 vaccines for the upcoming fall and winter season.
The FDA said the vaccines will target the KP.2 strain, which is an offshoot of the omicron variant.
The federal health agency said the decision applies to the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. No decision has been made about the vaccines from Novavax.
In this June 25, 2022 file photo, the FDA White Oak Campus, headquarters of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, is shown in Silver Spring, MD.
Getty Images, FILE
“Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of covid-19 prevention,” says Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a statement. “These updated vaccines meet the agency’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing quality.”
“Given the waning immunity of the population from previous exposure to the virus and from previous vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine to provide better protection against the currently circulating variant,” it continued the statement.
This is an evolving story. Check back for updates.