FDA Approves New Covid Vaccines Amid Summer Surge
WiredAmid a summer surge of Covid-19 infections, the US Food and Drug Administration just approved updated mRNA vaccines that more closely target the currently circulating variants of the coronavirus. The updated vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, target a variant of Omicron called KP.2, one of the several so-called FLiRT variants that collectively are responsible for the current Covid wave. “Given waning immunity of the population from previous exposure to the virus and from prior vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated Covid-19 vaccine,” said Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a statement on Thursday. The FDA green light comes after an advisory committee in June unanimously recommended that manufacturers develop updated Covid vaccines for this fall.