The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved three new COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the 2024-2025 fall and winter infection season, as cases and hospitalizations for the illness continue to rise across the U.S. amid a summer surge.
This marks the third time since the original series that the vaccines have been updated to match more current strains in anticipation of the next season.
“Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “These updated vaccines meet the agency’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.”
The mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are designed to target the KP.2 variant, whereas the Novavax vaccine that uses more traditional technology targets the earlier strain JN.1.
Both the KP.2 and JN.1 variants have been taken over by newer strains, but scientists expect them to still provide protection in the upcoming cycle because they belong to the omicron group.
The new vaccines are expected to reduce the risk of getting COVID by between 60% and 70% and reduce the risk of serious illness by about 80%, according to Marks.
Since rollout of the vaccines is expected to be imminent, experts suggest that individual patients make risk-benefit calculations as to when to get the updated vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that cases, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations for COVID have increased steadily since mid-May, but levels still remain well below winter surges.
Doctors recommend that patients at a severe risk of catching COVID this late summer and early fall consider getting the new vaccine sooner rather than later.
Others may consider waiting until September or October in order to provide the best immunity during the holiday season, with infection peaks often happening in November.
“Given waning immunity of the population from previous exposure to the virus and from prior vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine to provide better protection against currently circulating variants,” said Marks.
But no one knows how many Americans will actually take the new vaccines.
As of May, only 22% of adults received last year’s updated COVID vaccine, and only 14% of children between the ages of 6 months and 17 years got vaccinated.
Although the CDC recommends that everyone stay up-to-date with COVID vaccines, the agency strongly recommends it for people with the highest risk factors for severe disease, including those over 65 and underlying health conditions.