In just a few hours, federal health advisers will meet to
discuss plans for COVID-19 booster shots.
The FDA
says it's working to create a general framework for future decisions on
additional shots.
Today the agency will discuss a range of issues from
variant-specific booster shots, to whether younger Americans will need
an additional shot.
Today's meeting comes as the National Institutes of Health
studies different types of COVID-19 vaccine boosters.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says those clinical trials started last week to
evaluate the safety and effectiveness of boosters available to use against
future coronavirus variants.
“What we'll be doing is
assessing different fourth doses that are either ancestral strain or
variant-specific in the first phase of the study. In the second phase of the
study, we're planning on looking at different vaccine platforms for the purpose
of getting a great durability than we currently have," says Dr. Fauci.
Right now
fourth doses are recommended for Americans over 50.