The FDA approved new mRNA coronavirus vaccines last week, clearing the way for shots manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to start hitting pharmacy shelves and doctor’s offices this week. Via the Washington Post:
Health officials encourage annual vaccination against the coronavirus, similar to yearly flu shots. Everyone 6 months and older should receive a new vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
The FDA has yet to approve an updated vaccine from Novavax, which uses a more conventional vaccine development method but has faced financial challenges.
On Friday, the Biden administration announced it would restart its free covid-test-by-mail program in late September, allowing Americans to order four free test kits at covidtests.gov.
Hereee we go! It’s almost fall. We’ll have flu, RSV, and Covid-19 vaccines. It’s hard to keep track, so here are the what, who, and when.
There are some nuances for those looking for ultimate protection, but in the end, the best vaccine is the one you get! pic.twitter.com/beUgL0koxZ
— Katelyn Jetelina (@dr_kkjetelina) August 22, 2024
FDA has approved the new mRNA covid vaccines. Novavax is pending. Since I attended covid summer surge ’24, I might hold out for that one.
I covered some potential advantages of the newcomer last year. https://t.co/DKFxqm7w55
— Amy Maxmen, PhD (@amymaxmen) August 22, 2024
In April 2020, the New York Times ran a piece on when a covid-19 vaccine would be ready. The base case was that by mid-2024, we would still be in Phase 1 trials, with no shots until late 2033. Optimistic timeline: 2029.
Crazy what we pulled off really. https://t.co/oSQI6ttQFg pic.twitter.com/U0zpXuWDs2
— Stanley Pignal (@spignal) August 26, 2024