- On Aug 31, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of updated COVID-19 booster shots that are specifically tailored to combat the two most recent and contagious Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5.
- In human clinical trials and laboratory studies, both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna found that their initial version of the bivalent vaccine, which was directed against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and an earlier omicron strain, BA.1, induced a strong immune response and longer protection against both the original strain and the BA.1 variant.
- But whether they will protect against reinfection and breakthrough infections remains to be seen.
Will Omicron-specific booster shots be more effective at combating COVID-19?
