WASHINGTON – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed simplifying the vaccination schedule against COVID-19 and that the doses should be annual, as is the case with the common flu.
In a series of documents published on its website this Monday, the US regulator indicated that it is possible that most of the population may only need one annual dose to protect themselves from the disease, regardless of what they have received before.
The FDA notes that younger people who have not been exposed to COVID-19, the elderly, or those who are immunocompromised may need two doses per year.
The idea of this body will be to evaluate possible new forms of virus that have been circulating during the year and select one that it believes will be prevalent the following fall to develop a vaccine, as is commonly done with the flu. .
In its documents, the agency lists monovalent sera for the vaccine (those used in the original Covid vaccine and first boosters) and other polyvalent ones (reinforcement against Omicron).
The FDA details in its writing, “Simplifying vaccine composition should reduce complexity, reduce vaccine administration errors due to the complexity of different vial presentations, and potentially increase vaccination compliance.”
The FDA’s Vaccines and Biologics Advisory Committee, an independent body made up of scientists, is expected to vote on Thursday to evaluate the future of Covid vaccines in the US and whether to support the regulator’s recommendations.
The test can identify and differentiate between several respiratory viruses at the same time, detecting influenza A and B, commonly known as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV is, along with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. , Results are delivered through an online portal, with follow-up by a healthcare provider for positive or invalid test results.
