01/07/2022

FDA Shortens Interval for Moderna's COVID-19 Booster

It is now closer to five months than six

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorization for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, shortening the period of time between initial vaccination and the booster shot to at least five months for those over the age of 18.

"The country is in the middle of a wave of the highly contagious omicron variant, which spreads more rapidly than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and other variants that have emerged," said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

"Vaccination is our best defense against COVID-19, including the circulating variants, and shortening the length of time between completion of a primary series and a booster dose may help reduce waning immunity," Marks added. "Today's action also brings consistency in the timing for administration of a booster dose among the available mRNA vaccines. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated—it's never too late to get your COVID-19 vaccine or booster."

Please select this link to read the complete article from CNN.