Biden administration to urge Americans get new COVID-19 boosters

The Biden administration plans to urge all Americans to get a booster dose this autumn to combat the new wave of coronavirus infection, a White House official informed on Sunday emphasizing the importance of proactive measures to curb the virus’s impact. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an uptick in infections and hospital admissions linked to the virus. Despite these emerging trends, the official affirmed that the overall infection rates remain relatively low. Moderna, a prominent COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer had informed initially that the updated version of COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the “Eris” and “Fornax” subvariants in humans. COVID-19 Vaccine makers including Moderna, Novavax (NVAX.O), Pfizer (PFE.N) and German partner BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) have created versions of their shots aimed at the XBB.1.5 subvariant. Pending regulatory approvals from health authorities in the United States and Europe, these updated vaccine versions are expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks to align with the autumn vaccination season. “We will be encouraging all Americans to get those boosters in addition to flu shots and RSV shots,” the official said, referring to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus.