WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold an advisory committee meeting on Thursday to discuss a proposal for a seasonal COVID-19 vaccine. This practice would fall in line with recommendations for the seasonal influenza shot.
As part of this proposal, discussion will look at genetic variants and the current vaccine efficacy. Similar to other viruses, the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19 infections evolves over time, reducing how well the vaccine works. This is also the reason behind the bivalent vaccine made to help lessen the impact of the Omicron variant.
Officials plan to address is the process of creating and testing a seasonal booster, as well as updating the current vaccine to protect against the current prominent strand of the virus, B.1.351.
“It may well not be necessary to have a vaccine update in the fall, but taking these steps now is the right course of action,” explained virologist Trevor Bedford of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in an interview with Science.org.
The FDA meeting is expected to last all day. You can read the meeting briefing and agenda document here.
