The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the new Covid vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna. It is the third time that the vaccines have been updated to match those circulating since the original series, foreign media. Vaccines should be available within a few days.
The decision comes as a summer wave of the virus continues across much of the country. Earlier this summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone, adults and children, starting at 6 months of age, get the vaccine this fall. Vaccinations may be available within days.
The new vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are designed to target the KP.2 strain, a descendant of the highly contagious JN.1 variant that began circulating widely in the US last winter. Drugmakers began producing new doses in June after the FDA advised them to refresh formulas to match the version of the virus that was gaining ground in the US. It's unclear exactly how effective the vaccines will be against the newer strains, but experts expect them to protect against serious disease.
A spokesperson from Pfizer told NBC News that data submitted to the FDA show that its vaccine generates a "substantially improved" immune response against multiple variants currently circulating, including KP.3, compared to previous versions of the vaccine. .
