New COVID-19 booster shots specifically targeting the omicron variant could be set for authorization by the end of this week, Chicago’s top doctor said.
Both Pfizer and Moderna have sought regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration to offer the “bivalent” shots, which would target both the original COVID-19 virus and omicron subvariants that have become the dominant strains of COVID in the United States.
“So if the vaccine is authorized by the FDA and approved by the CDC, some of which may happen this week, vaccination could potentially begin as soon as the week after Labor Day,” Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said during a Facebook Live Tuesday. “So that’s as soon as potentially next week.”
Sources told NBC News that the FDA plans to evaluate and potentially authorize updated versions of both boosters sometime around Labor Day, citing two people familiar with the discussions. But with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory panel scheduled to meet on the topic Thursday and Friday, some experts expect decisions to be announced by the end of the week.
Here’s everything we know about where things stand with booster shots.
Which Companies will Offer Omicron-Specific Boosters?
Both BioNTech, manufacturers of the Pfizer COVID vaccine, and Moderna have asked the FDA to authorize their updated COVID booster shots, with both requests coming out this week.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both “bivalent vaccines,” designed to specifically target not only the original COVID-19 virus, but also to target omicron variants as well.
The move follows a recommendation from the FDA to modify vaccines to target the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants, the latter of which is responsible for nearly 90% of current COVID cases in the United States.
When Will the New Boosters be Authorized and Who Will be Eligible?
Sources told NBC News this week that the FDA plans to evaluate and potentially authorize updated versions of both boosters sometime around Labor Day, citing two people familiar with the discussions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory panel is scheduled to discuss the topic Thursday and Friday.
The updated booster shots will likely be authorized for anyone over the age of 18 who has yet to get a second booster shot, and the Biden administration is preparing to distribute the boosters to eligible individuals under the age of 18 as well, officials said.
But a government rollout plan anticipates that people who’ve already gotten their initial vaccinations would qualify for one of the new combination shots, regardless of how many boosters they’ve already had.
Chicago’s health department also expects anyone 18 or older who has received their preliminary doses to be eligible for both Moderna and Pfizer, with Pfizer’s updated vaccine potentially approved for those as young as 12.
“This is all pending the FDA and CDC this week, but what we’re hearing is it’s likely to be anybody aged 12-plus, who has completed their primary series,” Arwady said. “So that would be about 1.8 million Chicagoans, or about 77% of our age 12-plus population, we are expecting to be eligible for the updated vaccine… the bottom line is, even if you didn’t get a booster in the past, we are expecting that you will be able to get this booster.”
Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s vaccine chief, is aiming for a very simple message: “It’s probably going to be everyone who has not had a booster within the past X number of months should go out and get the booster in a timely manner,” he said. Officials still have to decide just how many months, though.
The final determination, however, is up to the CDC, which called a meeting of its influential vaccine advisers next Thursday and Friday to help decide.
Pfizer wants to open its updated boosters to everyone 12 and older who’s already had a primary series of today’s vaccine,…
Read More: New COVID Booster Shot Authorization Expected This Week – NBC Chicago