Experts who advise the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on immunizations were supportive on Jan. 26 of a planned pivot on COVID-19 vaccines.
Members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted to recommend the FDA stop using the original vaccines, which only target the obsolete Wuhan strain, in favor of new bivalent shots that are currently only used as boosters.
Advisers also informally supported lowering the number of doses recommended for the American population, particularly in people who have recovered from COVID-19 or received at least a primary series before.
The vote and advice came during a meeting attended by top officials with the FDA and researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose vaccine recommendations are closely followed by doctors and state officials across the nation….