On Thursday, the US Food and Drug Administration recommended that drugmakers such as Pfizer and Moderna move forward with the development of omicron-specific boosters by next fall. Both companies have already begun designing boosters based on omicron’s BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants — and the FDA has encouraged them to move forward with new booster formulations targeting the newer, more virulent BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of omicron. The FDA noted that these shots should be developed, tested and approved for use “beginning in early to mid-fall 2022.” That timing could be significant: In May, the Biden administration warned of a surge in Covid this fall and winter that could lead to 100 million new infections and a wave of deaths. In other words, chances are high that you will need to get a new Covid vaccine this coming fall. See what experts say you need to know, from vaccine effectiveness to what the latest timelines realistically look like.
Will these buffs protect you from the new sub-variants of Omicron?
So far, it’s unclear — but clinical data from Pfizer and Moderna on the boosters they’ve already made for BA.1 and BA.2 are promising. The data suggest that these vaccines provide markedly stronger immunity against their targeted subvariants than the main vaccines that most Americans have already received. As with all vaccines, the goal isn’t necessarily to completely eliminate transmission—no vaccine is 100% effective at preventing disease—but updated boosters could further boost your protection against hospitalization or death. The shots did not achieve the same results against the BA.4 and BA.5, but generally performed well. The FDA’s hope is that updated boosters will more effectively combat these newer subvariants by fall. and the Biden administration already has a deal with Pfizer to buy 105 million doses of whatever booster is eventually approved, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday. Of course, new variants or sub-variants could appear between now and the fall, potentially putting the drugmakers back to square one. But having vaccines that already target a particular strain of Covid is still a good first step because updating them on new strains is easier than creating them in the first place. “[It] it puts us in a relatively good position,” he tells CNBC Make It.
Who will be eligible for the new vaccines?
Most importantly, the FDA’s announcement Thursday noted that the omicron-specific vaccines will likely serve only as booster shots, meaning the country’s current list of approved vaccines will likely remain for the primary vaccination series. This means that you will only be eligible to receive an omicron-specific booster if you are already up to date on your vaccinations. Manufacturers may also need time to develop enough boosters for all age groups, which could mean vaccinating the population in tiers, Khan says. “If there is an adequate vaccine available, then this may not be necessary,” he adds. “It’s really hard to predict because it all depends on production schedules at this point.” Khan says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention faces similar issues every year when developing new flu vaccines: It has to decide months in advance what the new flu vaccine will look like so enough doses can be made to meet demand. until autumn. “Influenza decisions are made just before the spring, and now we’re going into the summer to make that decision about the Covid vaccination in the fall,” says Khan.
Is this the start of the annual covid vaccination?
The short answer: Probably yes, according to Dr. Michael Merson, professor of global health at Duke University. Once omicron-specific vaccines are approved for general use, it will be much easier for vaccine manufacturers to create new versions of their booster vaccines each year for the latest circulating Covid strains. And while protection against infection usually wanes four months after receiving a booster shot, according to CDC data, vaccinated people have strong protection against hospitalization and death for much longer. “We’ve seen from the trials so far that, with omicron, we have greater protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death — which, of course, is the most important endpoint,” says Merson. “If that’s our goal, primarily, as I think it should be, then an annual vaccine would seem adequate.” If the goal is to prevent infection and mild disease, then vaccination every few months would be the answer, but Merson doesn’t “think that’s a realistic goal” at this point. Historically, experts have pointed to decline as a target because Covid has long been expected to fall into a seasonal pattern, getting worse in colder months and improving in warmer months. Merson notes that that hasn’t quite happened yet — but fall remains a target deadline, not least because it’s the soonest one should realistically expect the drug manufacturing and approval processes to follow safely. Until the FDA decides on the vaccine formulation and reviews clinical data from multiple companies, the new vaccines will not be manufactured in large quantities, he adds. “They think there could be a vaccine by October. Now, that’s not ideal. Ideally, you’d like to do it a little earlier,” says Merson. “But at least it’s early enough for the winter season.” Subscribe now: Get smarter about your money and your career with our weekly newsletter Don’t Miss: Why You May Need a Micron-Specific Vaccine Even After This Covid Surge Is Over, Says Moderna’s Top Doctor
