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TAMPA, Fla. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering major changes to how the COVID-19 vaccine is administered.
Under the proposed plan, the COVID-19 booster would resemble the same process as the annual flu shot and would be given once a year.
To make that change, an FDA panel would need to vote on whether future vaccines should all target the same strain. Doing so would make the shots interchangeable, eliminating the need for a primary vaccination followed by a booster shot.
The new proposal says the FDA will work with experts and pharmaceutical companies to decide which strains to target in the summer and release updated shots in the fall. Similar to how it is created and distributed.
Dr. Michael Teng, professor of molecular medicine at the University of South Florida, said: “The flu vaccine intake is a little lower than the FDA would like, but if we can get a COVID vaccine out there in a flu model, I think that would be a good thing.”
At a meeting scheduled for Thursday, the FDA will ask outside experts to review the plan. We will then consider that advice before initiating formal changes.
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