(The Hill) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday announced it was simplifying its recommended COVID-19 vaccine schedule, stating a single dose of the bivalent vaccine specific to the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the omicron variant is enough for most individuals.
Going forward, the FDA announced all coronavirus vaccines administered to those six months and older would be the bivalent doses. The original forms of the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are no longer authorized for use in the U.S., the agency said.
The announcement on Tuesday indicated a shift away from the two-dose vaccine schedule that has become the standard throughout the U.S. when it comes to mRNA vaccination. Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine was originally the only authorized shot in the U.S. that was administered in a single dose.
According to the FDA, individuals who haven’t gotten a bivalent shot yet or haven’t gotten vaccinated at all are still eligible for a dose, but those who have received a single dose already are “not currently eligible for another dose.”
The agency says it plans to make further decisions on vaccination recommendations in June regarding the fall strain composition of the COVID shot.
DEVELOPING
