The Blubber

Per NYT

The Food and Drug Administration just outlined a plan that could see Americans getting a new shot of the COVID booster vaccine every fall. This plan took scientists, including FDA advisors, by surprise.

The plan could include two COVID shot uses a year for certain groups more vulnerable to the virus. According to Reuters, these groups include children, older adults, and people that suffer from compromised immunity.

Dr. Paul Offit, an advisor and director for the Philadelphia Children's Hospital's Vaccine Education Center, gave a statement regarding the FDA's decision, expressing what he wants to believe.

Offit: “I’m choosing to believe that they are open to advice, and that they haven’t already made up their minds as to exactly what they’re going to do,”

One of New England Journal of Medicine's advisers and editor and chief, Dr. Eric Rubin, shared a statement regarding his thoughts on what he would like to see regarding the dose's effectivity.

Rubin: “I’d like to see some data on the effect of dosing interval, at least observational data... And going forward, I’d like to see data collected to try to tell if we’re doing the right thing.”

The FDA is reportedly trying to simplify the timing of when Americans would take shots, and the agency plans to specify which shots they want the public to take. Per the health agency, they will be retiring the original vaccines and want only the types of doses administered by pair to be used.

Although most Americans have already received the vaccine, the report notes that only an estimated 40% of adults 65 years and above received the latest booster shots. The agency highlighted that some people might only need one shot.

“Most individuals may only need to receive one dose of an approved or authorized Covid-19 vaccine to restore protective immunity for a period of time,”

This comes at a time when the Pentagon dropped its mandate for US troops to have had the COVID-19 shots. As the vaccines ease, Moderna is considering increasing its vaccine price to $110-$130.

See flow at unusualwhales.com/flow.

Other News:

• Pentagon drops COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops
• Moderna, MRNA, considers price of $110-$130 for covid-19 vaccine

Resources:

The New York Times

Reuters

FDA