According to sources, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) planned to approve new versions of the Covid booster soon.
The most recent shots are aimed at the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant. Despite the fact that that strain is no longer dominant, the boosters should still protect against the current circulating subvariants, which are closely related, according to drugmakers and specialists.
The deadline for authorization is not set in stone, and it could slip into early next week, according to two sources. This may elicit additional criticism from some clinicians who believe federal health organizations are moving too slowly in the booster deployment as Covid cases and hospitalizations rise once more.
According to sources, the FDA is considering issuing the boosters a complete approval license rather than an emergency use authorisation, a change from the process utilized for prior Covid vaccination authorizations. However, it is unclear whether or not it is still the anticipated course of action.
Following FDA approval, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its advisory group will make their own recommendations on who should receive the doses and how they should be administered. The agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is due to vote on Tuesday. Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, could sign off on the boosters soon after the meeting, allowing immunizations to begin.