Updated Covid-19 booster shots may soon be available to teenagers and adults as the Food and Drug and Administration plans to authorize the new shots near Labor Day, according to CNBC. Pfizer is currently seeking authorization for those 12 and older, while Moderna is seeking authorization for adults.
The updated shots are aimed at combating the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants in addition to combating the original strain of Covid-19. The vaccine would be administered in a single shot. Once the FDA signs off on the vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will also have to do so.
The move to authorize these vaccines comes as the BA.5 subvariant accounts for 90% of new cases in the country, according to CDC data. Studies for both vaccines have been performed in animals but have yet to have been performed in humans.