Covid’s Next Big Wave Worries FDA Advisers Mapping Vaccine Plans
- Key Covid spike protein seen changing twice as fast as flu
- Doctors say next shots should target multiple virus strains
This article is for subscribers only.
Health officials should be developing a consistent standard for Covid-19 vaccines as they prepare for the rapid emergence of new variants, U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers said.
Chances are roughly 20% that there will be another “omicron-like” event in the next 12 months, according to research reviewed Wednesday by the FDA and its advisory panel on vaccines. A key portion of the spike protein that coronavirus uses to enter cells is changing at least twice as fast as one common influenza strain, which requires new types of shots every year because of mutations.