FDA Proposes Once-a-Year COVID-19 Vaccine Shot
AllSides Summary
The Food and Drug Administration is proposing a new approach to its COVID-19 immunization strategy that would turn the vaccine into an annual shot that targets the dominant strands of that year, similar to how the influenza vaccine is handled.
Key Quote: The FDA said many Americans now have “sufficient preexisting immunity” as a result of previous vaccinations and exposure to the virus. The FDA stated that “this simplification of vaccine composition should reduce complexity, decrease vaccine administration errors due to the complexity of the number of different vial presentations, and potentially increase vaccine compliance by allowing clearer communication.”
For Context: While over 80% of the U.S. population got the initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, only a fraction of that percentage have gotten the subsequent booster shots. With this proposal, the FDA aims to streamline and simplify the vaccination schedule in hopes of raising vaccination rates and public immunity. Much like the flu vaccine, an advisory board would meet annually to select a COVID-19 vaccine to match the expected dominant strains of that year. While most people will only require one annual shot under this new strategy, the FDA still recommends immunocompromised people and young children receive two doses per year.
How The Media Covered It: The new proposal from the FDA was covered moderately across the spectrum, with outlets in general agreement that the decline in vaccine rates is the result of confusion regarding recommended dosage frequency.
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From the Right
FDA to propose yearly COVID vaccines like annual flu shots for Americans
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed approaching COVID-19 vaccines like the annual flu shot many Americans receive in order to protect against mutations of the virus.
The proposal aims to simplify future vaccination efforts. Under this strategy, most adults and children would get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus. They would no longer have to keep track of how many shots they’ve received or many months it's been since their last booster.
In documents posted online, FDA scientists say many Americans now have "sufficient preexisting...
From the Left
US proposes once-a-year COVID shots for most Americans
U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.
This means Americans would no longer have to keep track of how many shots they’ve received or how many months it’s been since their last booster.
The proposal comes as boosters have become a hard sell. While more than 80% of the U.S. population has...
From the Center
FDA Proposes Annual Covid-19 Vaccinations
Most people would get one Covid-19 shot annually—as they do with the flu shot—under Food and Drug Administration proposals for simplifying the nation’s Covid-19 vaccine procedures.
The drug regulator also proposed that people getting vaccinated for the first time receive vaccines that target both Omicron and the original strain of the coronavirus.
The proposals, outlined in materials the FDA released Monday, would mark the biggest changes to Covid-19 vaccinations since boosters rolled out and are a sign of the nation’s shift to a more endemic-like approach to the coronavirus.
Vaccine...
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