U.S. poised to switch COVID-19 prevention strategy to annual vaccine

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Monday it was weighing a shift in its COVID-19 strategy to an annual vaccine program similar to that employed against flu.

The agency outlined the proposals in documents released online, alongside an accompanying video, ahead of a meeting of its key vaccines and biological products committee on Thursday.

Drug companies begin work on the annual flu vaccine each spring, working to match the vaccine as closely as possible to the variant determined as being likely to dominate in the following winter. The proposed COVID-19 strategy would follow a similar process, with people receiving their annual shot in the fall.

"FDA anticipates conducting an assessment of SARS-CoV-2 strains at least annually and to engage VRBPAC in about early June of each year regarding strain selection for the fall season," the FDA briefing states.

The latest COVID-19 variant spreading across the United States, is the rapidly mutating XBB.1.5 variant of Omicron. It is the most contagious variant yet.

Under the FDA's proposed plan, the updated vaccines would be ready for people to take by September each year, irrespective of how many previous COVID-19 shots they had received, or the manufacturer of those vaccines.

The plan calls for all manufacturers to supply the same composition so that people are all vaccinated against the strain that health officials have determined will be the prevailing COVID-19 virus in circulation in the coming winter.

However, should a more dangerous variant emerge, the FDA said it might isolate the strain the vaccine would be targeted against at other times of the year on an "as-needed and emergent basis."

Older people and very young children would receive shots twice yearly, as they currently do with the flu.

If the plan is approved at Thursday's meeting, the FDA would work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and vaccine manufacturers to finalize the details.