Simplifying the vaccine: Why a new COVID booster each fall could be the norm moving forward [View all]

[marmar]

(Salon) Ever since the first iteration of the COVID-19 vaccine, it seemed like no one was entirely sure how long to wait between booster shots — or exactly how many we should be getting.

Indeed, years later, all that is clear is that one series of shots is not enough. That's because SARS-CoV-2 is not the kind of virus (nor vaccine) that provides durable — meaning, lifetime — immunity; rather, it is, like influenza, a vaccine that confers only short-term immunity. Hence, like influenza, it seems that a new vaccine for COVID-19 each year, based on newly circulating variants, is the best public health protection.

Hence, as the coronavirus has mutated over the last couple of years, vaccines have evolved. But how vaccines will be doled out in the future, and exactly when, remained unclear.

Now, we finally have some vision of the future of COVID vaccination from government public health officials. This week, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), an independent advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), held a meeting providing insight on what an endemic COVID-19 future might look like. Specifically, the committee voted in favor of phasing out the primary two-shot series that targets the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and vaccinating individuals moving forward with the latest formulation that targets more recent subvariants. .............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2023/01/27/simplifying-the-vaccine-why-a-new-booster-each-fall-could-be-the-norm-moving-forward/