The Food and Drug Administration is now releasing a new coronavirus booster vaccine as part of a trio of vaccines scheduled to be released in the fall and winter with the aim of averting a “triple epidemic” of coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza. It may be approved immediately.
Citing sources: NBC News reported Thursday that the FDA could greenlight an updated version of the booster as soon as Friday, but said the approval timeline could be pushed back into next week.
After FDA approval, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its advisory committee will issue their own recommendations on who should get the vaccine and how it should be used. The agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices: scheduled meeting Tuesday. CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen approved the booster shot shortly after the meeting, allowing vaccinations to begin immediately.
Guidance is expected soon, but with coronavirus cases surging in many places, including Illinois, many are wondering if they need to act sooner.
If you are not up to date on vaccinations, the question arises whether you should wait until a new vaccine is released or get the vaccine that is currently available.
Dr. Allison Arwady, who was fired as Chicago Surgeon General last month, previously spoke about coronavirus vaccine boosters in a wide-ranging interview with NBC Chicago and urged Illinoisans to consider refraining from getting vaccinated. .
“It’s better to wait. We expect a new vaccine to be available in late September or early October,” he said in August. “It’s going to be the latest information. This will be the latest version to help fight the omicron, which is a subvariant of the omicron of the type we’ve been seeing lately.”
Illinois Department of Public Health officials said last month that new guidance would be released soon, explaining that certain changes in prescribing would lead to updated standards.
“FDA has directed pharmaceutical companies to develop new monovalent COVID-19 boosters that target the predominant XBB.1.5 strain of the virus,” the officials said.
Currently, booster and first doses of the coronavirus are formulated as “bivalent” vaccines, containing both the original coronavirus strain that affected the United States in 2020 and as BA.4 and BA.5. meant to provide protection against both known omicron variants. The latest dominant strain of the virus.
Officials said the doses of the new monovalent vaccine specifically target the XBB.1.5 strain, the latest dominant strain affecting the United States.
Current guidance on COVID-19 vaccination recommends that everyone six months of age and older should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. People who have not been vaccinated at all are recommended to receive either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for a total of three doses, four weeks apart between each dose.
Anyone who receives the first dose is recommended to receive a bivalent booster of the vaccine, while immunocompromised people may receive a second booster if recommended by their doctor.
If you would like information about your COVID-19 vaccination history, please contact You can access Vax Verify You will receive that information through IDPH.