FDA recommends new Omicron COVID-19 shots become standard

Jan. 26 (UPI) -- A U.S. Food and Drug Administration's advisory committee approved a proposal to phase out the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines used in the original round of nationwide vaccinations and replace them with the newest shot for the Omicron variant.

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 19-2 in favor of the proposal, according to a briefing published Thursday.

The committee's decision is meant to simplify vaccinations by eliminating old vaccines in favor of the bivalent omicron vaccines, which have proven to be effective in guarding against the worst outcomes of infection from newer strands of the virus.

"FDA expects that simplification of COVID-19 vaccine composition and annual immunization schedules may contribute to more facile vaccine deployment, fewer vaccine administration errors, and less complex communication, all potentially leading to improved vaccine coverage rates and, ultimately, to enhanced public health," the FDA brief reads.

Unlike the COVID-19 vaccines that were administered en masse in 2020 and further in 2021, the bivalent omicron vaccine works against the Omicron variant as well as the original virus. The vaccine, produced by Pfizer and Moderna, is currently used only as a booster shot for those who have undergone a full round of the initial vaccination process.

The change to vaccination would only affect people who have not been fully vaccinated by the first round of shots.

The committee proposed updating its schedule of vaccine rollouts. Under the proposed plan, the FDA would determine in June a vaccine composition meant to target the strand of the virus that is projected to be dominant in the following winter when infections tend to increase. This is similar to what the administration does with influenza vaccines annually.

More than 69% of the U.S. population has completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 15% have received an updated booster shot.