A panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s outside vaccine advisers voted to back new COVID vaccine and booster shots that target the newer variants prior to the fall. The FDA approved and authorized the new shots on Monday, with the CDC panel vote coming just a day later.
CDC Director Dr. Many Cohen said in a release the organization is recommending updated COVID vaccinations for everyone 6 months and older.
The director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Dr. Peter Marsk, said the public can be assured the shots have met the agency’s “rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality.”
President Joe Biden said the decision is another “important milestone” in ensuring COVID “no longer meaningfully disrupts our lives.”
“(Yesterday’s) announcement also means that we now have immunizations for all three major seasonal respiratory viruses — COVID-19, flu and RSV,” Biden said. “As we head into fall and winter, we are in our strongest position yet with more tools and systems available than ever before — including safe and effective vaccines, widely available at-home tests and effective treatments.”
Biden added that vaccination against COVID is “the most important protection” to avoid hospitalization, long-term health complications and death.
