The risk of Covid may increase in winter! America is making full preparations for the new vaccine
New Delhi (Uttam Hindu News): The world had just started living a normal life after three years of pandemic and its huge impact when once again the outbreak of Covid-19 variants came to the fore. The surge in Covid cases in the US has affected schools, workplaces and government offices. The number of people admitted to hospital is increasing rapidly.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week recommended that everyone ages 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against potentially serious consequences of the disease this winter. Updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are scheduled to be made available later this week. “Vaccination is the best defense against COVID-19,” the CDC said in its latest update. “Vaccination also reduces your chances of suffering long-term effects of Covid.”
The virus that causes COVID-19 is always changing, but vaccines reduce the risk. “We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19,” said CDC Director Mandy Cohen.
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved newly developed Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which are more targeted at existing variants of the disease. The new Covid vaccines target the XBB.1.5 variant, which was dominant when vaccine makers began designing and testing a new version. They are monovalent because, unlike earlier boosters, they do not include protection against the original virus that caused widespread infections three years ago.
Health officials in the US are urging people to get vaccinated as soon as the shots become available, amid growing concerns that the coronavirus, flu and respiratory syncytial virus could pose a threat this winter. “Vaccination is critical for continued protection against serious outcomes of COVID-19,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “The composition of COVID-19 vaccines needs to be updated annually, as is done for seasonal influenza vaccines,” according to the FDA.
