The answer is everyone, old and young, an expert panel decided on Tuesday, within a few days the vaccine will be widely available.
The updated vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna was signed off by the Food and Drug Administration and the Director for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vaccines are already being shipped from the makers after receiving the FDA approval.
The new vaccines will target the more recent variants of the virus, which has evolved since the first appearance in 2019. There have been speculations that the targeted variant is no longer the most common one circulating these days but studies show that the vaccine will be effective against it too.
Will this new vaccine target BA.2.86? Is there any reason to worry about this new COVID variant?
Currently, the variant EG.5 is most common in US, it accounts for only 22% of cases. There are a half-dozen more variants each accounting for about 5%. These variants belong to the omicron family, which started spreading in late 2021.
The current variant, BA.2.86 has not spread much in the US yet, but people are concerned as it has a large number of mutations.
People who are old, with weakened immune systems, or have other health conditions will benefit most from these shots.
The following people should get vaccinated:
- above 65 years
- below 6 months
- Pregnant women
- other people younger than 65 who have weak immune systems, taking medications to treat cancer or rheumatoid arthritis, or organ transparent.
COVID-19 infections have risen since July, according to the CDC. 16% hospitalization and 11% deaths in the last week
Is the old COVID-19 bivalent vaccine effective? The answer is no, it is not recommended.
