FDA could give green light to new COVID boosters as soon as Friday – NBC10 Philadelphia

The Food and Drug Administration plans to give the green light to updated versions of the COVID-19 booster as early as Friday, according to four people familiar with the agency’s plans.

The latest shots target the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5. Even if that particular strain is no longer dominant, the boosters should still provide protection against currently circulating subvariants that are closely related, the drugmakers and experts say.

The schedule for Friday’s approval is yet to be determined and could be pushed back to early next week, two of the sources said.

That could lead to further criticism from some doctors, who say federal health officials are slow to roll out booster shots as COVID cases and hospitalizations surge again.

Two sources who spoke to NBC News said the FDA is exploring the possibility of granting the booster shots a full regulatory license rather than an emergency license, a departure from the approach used in previous Covid vaccine approvals. However, it remains uncertain whether this is still the intended course of action.

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