The Food and Drug Administration has approved the new COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, which should be available in the next few days.
The announcement was made in two FDA statements on Thursday. Both statements said the agency had amended the emergency use authorization of both vaccines to include the 2024-2025 formula.
The news of updated vaccines comes as cases of the virus have increased this summer. COVID-19 levels have been classified as “very high” in 29 states, according to tracking data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalizations have also continued to rise.
The new vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer are both designed to ward off the KP.2 strain, a descendant of the highly contagious JN.1 variant, both FDA statements said.
The related strain KP.3.1.1 accounts for nearly 37% of all new COVID cases nationwide, with KP.3 accounting for nearly 17% of cases, according to CDC data as of Saturday, August 17.
Ahead of the rollout of the new vaccine, the FDA recommends that all Americans six months of age and older receive their COVID vaccinations. People at highest risk of severe COVID infection are those aged 65 or with weakened immune systems.
According to CDC guidelines, Americans who recently had COVID-19 “may consider delaying their vaccine dose for three months.” However, the CDC recommends that people keep their vaccinations up to date. People at higher risk for severe infection are advised to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
