(Carrick Pharmacy News) Who’s up for another booster shot? If you are, you may be eligible at some point soon.
Of course, that will depend on the outcome of meetings like the one the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to have on April 6, 2022.
The agency recently announced that it would hold a virtual meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) on that date. The meeting will include members of the FDA’s independent advisory committee, as well as officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
On the agenda for the upcoming meeting are vaccine updates to address particular COVID-19 variants and future additional booster shots, according to the FDA.
FDA officials said vaccination remains the best way to protect against the threat of COVID-19.
“Now is the time to discuss the need for future boosters as we aim to move forward safely, with COVID-19 becoming a virus like others such as influenza that we prepare for, protect against, and treat,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a press release. “Bringing together our panel of expert scientific external advisors in an open, transparent discussion about booster vaccination is an important step to gain insight, input and expert advice as we begin to formulate the best regulatory strategy to address COVID-19 and virus variants going forward.”
Health officials said that no vote would be taken at the VRBPAC meeting. However, the discussion at the meeting is meant to inform the agency’s decision-making surrounding vaccine updates and boosters in the future.
If you would like to attend the upcoming VRBPAC meeting, you can do so virtually via the FDA’s YouTube channel at this link.
If you have questions about COVID-19, vaccines, boosters or treatments, reach out to your health care provider.
