In the middle of summer In response to a surge in COVID-19 infections, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an improved mRNA vaccine that more specifically targets currently circulating variants of the coronavirus.
The improved vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech target the Omicron variant known as KP.2, one of the so-called FLiRT variants that are driving the current COVID-19 outbreak. It will likely be several weeks before the new vaccines reach pharmacies and clinics.
“Given the waning immunity of the public from previous exposure to the virus and vaccination, we strongly encourage eligible individuals to consider getting the latest COVID-19 vaccine,” Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement Thursday.
The new 2024-25 formula aims to provide better protection against hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. More than 916,300 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. in 2023, and more than 75,500 died from the virus. Vaccination can also protect against long-COVID, a chronic illness that lasts at least three months after infection.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends this new vaccine 6 months or moreIt doesn’t matter whether you have previously received a COVID-19 vaccine.
Like the influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2 is constantly changing. Just as the influenza vaccine is updated annually to adapt to changes in the virus’ structure, so too is the COVID-19 vaccine. Elizabeth Hudson, regional director of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, says SARS-CoV-2 is changing faster than the influenza virus, making it hard to predict which variants will dominate by the time a vaccine is available. “Variants are coming in and out at a faster rate than influenza,” Hudson says.
The FDA’s go-ahead came after an advisory committee in June unanimously recommended that manufacturers develop a COVID-19 vaccine this fall. Based on evidence at the time, FDA advisers initially recommended that the new vaccine target a lineage called JN.1, a derivative of Omicron. But the FDA Updated guidanceThey are calling on vaccine makers to instead target the KP.2 strain, a descendant of the JN.1 variant, to more closely resemble circulating variants.
The previous version of the COVID vaccine was approved by the FDA on September 11, 2023. That formulation targeted the XBB.1.5 variant that was primarily circulating in the United States in early 2023. The virus has mutated significantly since then, and the currently circulating FLiRT variant is thought to be more contagious and evade the immune system more effectively than previous versions of the virus.
If you have recently been infected with COVID-19, the CDC says you can consider: Delay vaccination by 3 months.
“For the most part, we’re recommending people get both the COVID vaccine and the flu vaccine in late September or October to get through the winter,” said Rosha McCoy, a pediatrician and senior director of medical affairs at the Association of American Medical Colleges. “Of course, people who are at higher risk or who are going to be in a higher-risk situation may want to get vaccinated earlier.”
Typically, the biggest surges of respiratory viruses occur in the winter, but COVID-19 tends to peak in both winter and summer, and the current summer surge is likely due to the emergence of new variants and the waning protection of previous vaccines.
“We’re at the lowest point in terms of natural and vaccine immunity since 2023,” Hudson said. “This is the worst case scenario for a more transmissible variant of COVID-19.”
