Title: American Health Officials Approve Updated COVID-19 Vaccines for Most People
Date: [Insert Date]
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given the green light for most people, including children as young as six months old, to receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine this year. The approval comes as part of efforts to combat the ongoing threat of the Omicron variant and its sub-variants. Last week, both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s updated COVID-19 shots were authorized, while the Novavax vaccine is still under study.
According to CDC Director Mandy Cohen, individuals starting from the age of five can now receive a single shot, even if they have never previously received a COVID-19 vaccine. For younger children, the number of shots required may depend on their vaccination history and prior exposure to the virus.
While Cohen believes that COVID-19 shots will likely be administered annually, similar to flu vaccines, not all medical experts agree on the frequency of vaccinations. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University and CDC advisor, supports vaccinating individuals aged six months and above against COVID, stating, “If you’re six months of age or older, you should get a flu vaccine. Sounds good to me for COVID also.” However, some experts, such as Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease expert at the University of Pennsylvania and another CDC advisor, contend that annual shots may only be necessary for high-risk groups.
In contrast to the CDC’s recommendations, the British government’s vaccine committee has decided to offer the updated shots exclusively to adults aged 65 and older and individuals at greater risk, identifying them as the most likely to benefit.
The updated COVID-19 shots are formulated to target the Omicron sub-variant, XBB.1.5, which has been spreading across several countries, including the United States, Switzerland, South Africa, Israel, Denmark, and Britain. While it is claimed that the updated shots have displayed effectiveness against the BA.2.86 sub-variant in early testing, studies have not yet demonstrated their efficacy in lower-risk populations.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has asserted that the emergence of new COVID-19 variants highlights the enduring threat posed by the virus worldwide, although the severity of the pandemic has diminished.
Encouragingly, recent data shows that vaccinations and previous infections have significantly contributed to the reduction of severe illness and mortality from COVID-19. However, with only approximately 20 percent of American adults receiving an updated COVID-19 shot in the past year, health officials hope that a higher percentage of the population will get vaccinated to avoid a potential surge in cases, as witnessed during the “tripledemic” last year, when hospitals confronted simultaneous increases in flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 cases.
To simplify the vaccination process, the CDC states that individuals can receive both a yearly flu shot and the updated COVID shot simultaneously, assuring the public that there is no difference in efficacy or side effects.
As the threat of COVID-19 lingers, the importance of widespread vaccination remains vital in safeguarding public health and curbing the spread of the virus.
I’m Mario Ritter, Jr.
[Hai Do adapted this report for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters sources.]
Words in This Story:
– Original – happening or existing first
– Variant – something that is a little different from members of a group of similar things