US government to urge Americans to get new Covid-19 boosters
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Pending approval from health regulators, Moderna and other vaccine makers expect new Covid-19 boosters to be available in the coming weeks.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – The Biden administration plans to urge all Americans to get a booster shot for the coronavirus this autumn to counter a new wave of infections, a White House official said on Sunday.
The official said that while the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting an increase in infections and hospital admissions from the virus, overall levels remain low.
Last Thursday, Moderna said initial data showed that its updated Covid-19 vaccine is effective against the Eris and Fornax subvariants in humans.
Moderna and other Covid-19 vaccine makers Novavax and Pfizer-BioNTech have created versions of their shots aimed at the XBB.1.5 subvariant.
Pending approval from health regulators in the United States and Europe, the companies expect the updated shots to be available in the coming weeks for the autumn vaccination season.
“We will be encouraging all Americans to get those boosters in addition to flu shots and RSV shots,” the official said, referring to the respiratory syncytial virus. REUTERS
