SARS-CoV-2 is evolving "rapidly," spawning one new variant after another. But omicron continues to dominate, raising new questions about how evolution of the virus is headed.
Dr. Carlos del Rio with Emory University School of Medicine says last year’s booster has been replaced by the new bivalent one, and that people can expect an annual COVID vaccine similar to how the influenza vaccine is updated yearly.
Sikhulile Moyo led the team that first identified omicron — and was dismayed by the world's reaction — blaming and blacklisting African nations. He's now a bit more optimistic.
The Food and Drug Administration earlier this week authorized the updated Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots. The endorsement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came Thursday, hours after advisers to the CDC voted to recommend reformulated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.
Pfizer has submitted data on its bivalent COVID-19 booster shot that specifically targets the latest omicron subvariants. If authorized, the company says the shots could be ready as soon as September.
We've heard for months that chances of catching SARS-CoV-2 outdoors are far less than indoors. Is that still true with highly contagious omicron strains? And if it is, what can you do to stay safe?
With immunity waning and the super-contagious omicron family of variants getting better at dodging protection, the Food and Drug Administration decided boosters intended for fall needed an update.
The Food and Drug Administration will have to decide the exact recipe, but a combination shot is expected that adds protection against a version of the omicron variant to the original vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration will have to decide the exact recipe, but a combination shot is expected that adds protection against a version of the omicron variant to the original vaccine.
Pfizer said that tweaking its vaccine to better target the omicron variant is safe and works — just days before regulators debate whether to offer Americans updated booster shots this fall.
Some scientists estimate that cases of long COVID from omicron will still rise, however, because of high transmissibility and the misconception that people don't have to worry about catching it.
People who catch COVID may feel as if they won't get it again, at least not for a long time. Their immune system should be primed to fight it off in the future. Right? Well, let's see.
New versions of omicron are circulating in the United States and South Africa. Two new studies shed light on the potential for future surges — and the risk factor if you've already had omicron.
