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The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated versions of Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
The new vaccines have been updated to include a monovalent component that corresponds to the Omicron variant.
The vaccines are therefore designed to better fight off the currently circulating variant and provide better protection against serious consequences of Covid-19, such as hospitalisation and death.
Hospital admissions due to Covid-19 are rising
These new vaccines come following a steady increase in the number of Covid cases in the US. With this, the number of hospital admissions has also been rising.
Indeed, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests there were 18,871 hospital admissions due to Covid-19 in the week beginning 27 August.
This is up by 8.7% compared to the previous week, and 6,315 admissions for a similar period in June.
Babies as young as six months old to be offered updated Covid-19 vaccines
The updated vaccines will be available to everyone over the age of six months, regardless of previous vaccination status. However, the timing and number of doses to administer will depend on the patient’s age, vaccination history and vulnerability to the virus.
The FDA note that the first dose of this vaccine must be given at least two months after the last dose of any other Covid vaccine.
Dr Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research says the public can “be assured” that these updated vaccines have met the agency’s “rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality.”
“Vaccination remains critical to public health and continued protection against serious consequences of Covid-19, including hospitalisation and death … [and] we very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated,” he added.
Vaccines could be rolled out this week
The CDC is due to meet today (Tuesday 12th) to issue recommendations on who should be prioritised for the vaccine.
If signed off, the vaccinations could begin as soon as this week, according to the Associated Press.