As a summer wave of COVID-19 infections continues in the United States, updated vaccines have been approved by U.S. regulators ahead of the fall and winter.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) greenlit and granted emergency use authorization for updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna targeting the most recent virus strains circulating.
The new mRNA vaccines from both pharmaceutical companies target the Omicron KP.2 variant that was dominating COVID-19 spread earlier this year.
While additional offshoots, particularly KP.3.1.1, now are spreading in U.S. and Canada, they’re closely enough related that the vaccines promise cross-protection.
“The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been updated with this formula to more closely target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death,” the FDA said in a statement.
The updated shots, which are approved for everyone aged six months and older, met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality, the agency said.
The approval comes as COVID-19 cases have been rising across the U.S. over the summer months.
The latest U.S. wastewater data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a “very high” level of COVID-19 in the country.
Health Canada told Global News earlier this week that it was still reviewing submissions from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax for their updated COVID-19 shots.
“Health Canada will authorize the vaccines if, following a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, we determine that the vaccines meet safety, quality, and efficacy standards,” Nicholas Janveau, a spokesperson for the agency, said in an email on Tuesday.
Starting in the fall of 2024, Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) strongly recommends the most recently-updated COVID-19 vaccines for previously vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe COVID-19 illness.
These include everyone aged 65 or older, long-term care home residents, pregnant people, those with underlying medical conditions and people from Indigenous communities.
Allison McGeer, an infectious disease physician at Sinai Health in Toronto, told Global News in an interview this week that “COVID is still a concern in Canada,” urging people to get vaccinated.
“I think from what we’ve seen, we are expecting there’s going to be a significant amount of COVID in the fall and winter,” McGeer said. “There’s still very clearly a benefit to getting your shot when they’re available in Canada to protect you through the winter.”
— with files from The Associated Press.