The FDA on Thursday gave its nod to the updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2024-25 season, preparing for an expected spike in cases this upcoming fall and winter. Both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s updated vaccines are granted full approval for people age 12 and older, and they’re authorized for emergency use for children 6 months to 11 years old. The approval comes as COVID-19 infection rates have increased this summer, according to wastewater data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts predict that COVID-19 will spike twice per year, in the summer and winter, based on how the virus has evolved in past years. The FDA is planning to update the vaccines once per year, on the same timeline that annual flu vaccines are updated, depending on which strain is circulating. “These updated vaccines meet the agency’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality,” Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
“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.” Unvaccinated children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years can receive either three doses of Pfizer’s vaccine or two of Moderna’s. If they have been previously vaccinated,.