TAMPA, Fla. — A new COVID-19 vaccine booster could soon be available. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration announced the updated mRNA vaccine will fight against current variants of COVID circulating.
And on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 13-1 to recommend the updated COVID-19 shots to anyone who is 6 months old or older.
The vaccine, manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna could be available in a matter of days.
"The public can be assured that these updated vaccines have met the agency's rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality. We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated," Dr. Peter Marks, the director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a news release announcing the move.
Dr. Michael Teng is the associate dean of the College of Medicine's internal medicine department at the University of South Florida.
"It's based off of this variant with the name XBB, 1.5," Teng explained. "It's important because this is the variant that we're seeing a lot of other variants come from."
The FDA said these vaccines will likely be updated annually, like the flu shot. This new booster comes amid an increase in COVID hospitalizations and concern about the spread of several new variants.
"We know that the immunity to the virus, the really good protective immunity lasts — the antibodies last about six months," Teng said. "So it sounds reasonable that we would start seeing another wave of infections after people start losing having waning immunity to the virus."
Just like previous boosters, this round is cleared for adults and children as young as six months. This FDA clearance is as broad as the CDC's new recommendation.
"We are seeing a surge in cases because the virus is not going away," Teng said.
Now with the CDC sign-off, the vaccines could be ready as soon as the end of the week, according to Teng.
The FDA said the new boosters can be administered at the same time as a flu shot.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.