14-8-2023 (NEW YORK) A new COVID-19 booster vaccine is anticipated to be available in the United States in September as hospitalizations in the country increase due to the EG.5 “Eris” variant, which is a descendant of the XBB lineage.
The upcoming shots have been specifically designed to target the XBB.1.5 variant, which is an offshoot of the Omicron variant, aiming to closely resemble the various circulating strains of the virus.
While EG.5 is similar to XBB.1.5, the newer subvariant carries one mutation in its spike protein.
Major vaccine manufacturers Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Novavax have all developed updated versions of their vaccines. However, some health experts have expressed doubt over the acceptance of these booster shots by the American population.
Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has significantly declined since its initial availability in 2021, with over 240 million people in the US, accounting for 73 percent of the population, having received at least one dose. By the fall of 2022, when a substantial portion of the population had either contracted COVID-19 or received the vaccine, the number of people getting vaccinated dropped to fewer than 50 million.
Ashley Kirzinger, Director of Survey Methodology at the Kaiser Family Foundation, noted that healthcare providers and pharmacies will face the challenge of addressing declining concerns about the virus, as well as fatigue and skepticism regarding the value of the booster vaccine. Kirzinger emphasized that public health officials will need to convince the American public that COVID-19 is still a threat and persuade them to consider annual vaccinations.
The rollout of the new booster shots will mark a significant shift in the US vaccination approach, moving away from government-procured vaccine supplies to making them available in the commercial market.
COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers have already adjusted their expectations for this fall’s vaccination campaign. Pfizer, the largest producer of mRNA shots in collaboration with BioNTech, recently warned of potential job cuts if the campaign does not perform well. Moderna, its biggest competitor, acknowledged that demand for the booster shots could be as low as 50 million.
Last year, worldwide sales of Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines surpassed $56 billion, while analysts project around $20 billion for this year.
Michael Yee, an analyst at Jefferies, does not anticipate this year’s autumn campaign to reach the same level as last year. Yee pointed out that there is less concern about COVID-19 this year compared to the previous year, which resulted in approximately 50 million shots administered in the US last winter.
The COVID-19 public health emergency officially ended in May, and the responsibility for vaccinating the American population has largely been handed over to the private sector. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.1 million people in the United States have died from COVID-19.
CDC Director Mandy Cohen stated in a recent podcast that she expects the booster shots, subject to authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration and recommendation by the CDC, to be rolled out in the third or fourth week of September. Cohen suggested that Americans should view these shots as an annual measure to protect themselves, similar to the annual flu shot.
Similar to the flu vaccine, Pfizer/BioNTech SE, Moderna, and Novavax have developed versions of the COVID-19 vaccine tailored to match the variant expected to circulate this fall. The shots are designed to target XBB.1.5, a subvariant similar to EG.5 and a sub-lineage of the still dominant Omicron variant.
COVID-19-related hospitalizations in the US have increased over 40 percent from recent lows reached in June. However, they still remain more than 90 percent below the peak levels recorded during the January 2022 Omicron outbreak, according to CDC data.
Some doctors suggest that annual booster shots should be primarily targeted at the elderly and other high-risk individuals who are more likely to experience severe outcomes if they contract COVID-19.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University and a liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, mentioned the possibility of the committee making a weaker recommendation for younger, healthier individuals, which could impact the demand for booster shots.
Schaffner questioned whether children should receive the booster and whether younger adults without underlying health conditions should be prioritized for vaccination or if a more targeted approach should be adopted.
Last year, the CDC recommended that children aged 6 and older receive a single dose of the updated vaccine.
According to Dr. David Boulware, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Minnesota, his research indicates that boosted individuals experience milder symptoms for a shorter duration when infected with COVID-19.
He emphasized the importance of being boosted in reducing the duration of illness, even when individuals contract the virus.
