FDA Approves Latest mRNA Vaccines For Omicron KP.2 COVID Strain

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval and emergency use authorization (EUA) for Moderna's Spikevax and Pfizer-BioNTech's Comirnaty, the latest mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. These vaccines are specially designed to target the Omicron variant KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2.

Approved for individuals aged 12 and older, with EUA extended to children aged six months to 11 years, these updated vaccines are intended to offer enhanced protection against severe illness, hospitalizations, and fatalities associated with Covid-19. While these vaccines aim to curb the most serious outcomes of the virus, recipients should anticipate side effects similar to those experienced with previous doses.

Peter Marks, Director of the FDA Centre for Biologics Evaluation and Research said in a statement, “These updated vaccines meet the agency’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality. Given the waning immunity of the population from previous exposure to the virus and from prior vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated Covid-19 vaccine to provide better protection against currently circulating variants.”