By September, America will facilitate another round of vaccine shots with updated COVID-19 boosters that will specifically target the subvariants of the highly transmissible COVID-19 virus, Omicron.
Health experts believe that these updated COVID-19 boosters are expected to make a major difference in the current vaccines' protection. With an average of 124,000 new cases and 440 deaths per day, the new variant-specific vaccines may lower the figures in the U.S. since they will specifically target the widely circulating Omicron strains.
"We must stay vigilant in our fight against COVID-19 and continue to expand Americans' access to the best vaccines and treatments," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the official announcement.
Pfizer said it would be able to deliver 105 million shots, while Moderna committed to 66 million bivalent boosters, which has the tools and technology to target both the original COVID-19 variant and the Omicron variant. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been working closely with vaccine manufacturers for months.
However, as with previous vaccination, the FDA will still review the safety and effectiveness of the new vaccines before approval.
Who will get the updated COVID-19 Boosters?
The current vaccine guidelines in the U.S. allow one booster shot for ages five and above. The second booster shot may only be administered to adults 50 and over and those with immune deficiencies if they are 12 to 49 years old.
As of press time, the FDA has not yet released specific guidelines on who will qualify for the bivalent boosters. However, epidemiologist Dr. Keri Althoff of Johns Hopkins believes it will be recommended for all adults.
Althoff also said that, as a parent, he would like his kids to be eligible for these new boosters.
"It would be great if these boosters are conveying some additional protection that the kids could get access to before we send them off to school this fall," he told WebMD.
Althoff also assured the public that the updated COVID-19 boosters have not been developed rapidly and could be deemed unsafe. He said that they have been monitoring the technology used in these vaccines from the start, and the consensus is that it's working very well.
The expert also said that they have cases of vaccine fatigue, but essentially, the body's immune system has to be primed and up to speed when the Omicron variants are rapidly changing.
Will vaccines be needed every year?
Tania Watts, an immunology professor, told Vox that the first vaccines still do their job of preventing deaths and can still "hold up well" with the latest variants. However, as the virus keeps changing and mutating, vaccine shots and bivalent boosters every year might become possible.
Vaccine scientists, however, continue to work on vaccines, including universal vaccines, that will bring longer-lasting immunity. Thus, it's also highly possible that a new COVID-19 vaccine will be the final shot.
