Our fall COVID boosters will likely be a monovalent XBB formula - Ars Technica

[BootinUp]

If all goes smoothly, the FDA is expecting new shots around September.
BETH MOLE - 6/15/2023, 3:01 PM

An advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday voted unanimously (21 to 0) to recommend updating COVID-19 vaccines for the 2023-2024 period to be a monovalent formula targeting the latest omicron subvariant lineage of XBB. Such an update would apply to both primary series shots as well as boosters.

The monovalent update means that the next COVID-19 vaccines will only target one version of pandemic coronaviruses. This is a switch from the current formula, which is bivalent, targeting both the spike protein from the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain and the previous leading omicron subvariants BA.4/5 (which share a spike protein).

In Thursday's day-long meeting, advisers reviewed data suggesting that the current bivalent vaccine continues to protect from the most severe outcomes of COVID-19, but protection from infection and hospitalization wanes over time and wanes notably faster against the XBB variants. To date, only 17 percent of Americans have received a bivalent booster, meaning their protection is significantly weakened since their last dose of the original vaccine formula, which only targeted the ancestral strain.

For the update, the advisers examined data suggesting that a monovalent vaccine, rather than a bivalent, would have a better shot at protecting against the latest omicron subvariants and reduce the chances of skewing immune responses back to the ancestral strain, which no longer circulates. Since the last update to the bivalent shots, the virus has continuously evolved, coming up with new ways to try to evade immune responses built up from previous infections and vaccinations.

Its Ars Technica so of course there is much more information at the link https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/06/our-fall-covid-boosters-will-likely-be-a-monovalent-xbb-formula/

[Hugin]

1. Damn, only...

17 percent?

[JCMach1]

2. I am in the middle of my 4th Covid infection despite all vaccinations...

XBB is rougher than Omicron which I had last year. Also, it's spreading like crazy in the US and apparently elsewhere (I was in UK/where I caught it).

It also seems a bit tricky. Negative test first few days, thought I had a sinus infection. 3 day, I couldn't smell at all. Retested and Pos. Got antivirals, and continued zpack. Also, felt like my immune system kicked in last night.

Short lesson is version 1 came extremely close to snuffing me out pre-vaccine. While I have been infected 3 freaking times now, the vaccines have kept me out of the hospital ward and alive. XBB is a very bad version. Get your vaccines. If I wasn't vaccinated I wouldn't be talking to you right now, I would hospitalized with this one and possibly on my way to ICU. This one is not a little cold like some of the wimpier variants.

[IbogaProject]

4. There is another virus

With similar severity to Influenza that goes around too. Best wishes for a quick recovery. Back in 2001, I survived 17 days on a ventilator. So this entire pandemic, and the whole "do their own research" cohort has been a serious PTSD stressor. I'm a type 1 diabetic, now 55 so this mess has been frightening overall.

[Hugin]

7. Yeah, it went through the household...

in two rounds mid-Spring. I guess it could have been the flu.

Two members first and then the third about a month later. Fountains of mucus. Awful, but, we all had our vaccinations.

[JCMach1]

10. I feel you. My first Covid infection left me Type 2

Along with a host of other problems: heart, lungs, hidradenitis, and long term brain fog.

[BootinUp]

5. Feel better JCMach nt

[JCMach1]

3. Transmission rates are currently uncontrolled

There are currently more than 9,747 patients hospitalized in the United States per week, with 16% of those being ICU patients. The test positivity rate for the week of June 2-8 was 7.2%. When test positivity is above 5%, transmission is considered uncontrolled.

https://www.nebraskamed.com/COVID/what-covid-19-variants-are-going-around

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. I will get this vaccination as soon as it is available

[Blues Heron]

8. You can see the curve of hospitalizations flatten out (decline more slowly or even stop declining)

Check the cdc tracker it doesn’t show new cases anymore but it does show new hospitalizations which supposedly correlate with 99 percent accuracy with new cases.

[liberal_mama]

9. I wish I could get one, but the mRNA vaccines flare up my lupus & psoriasis. I'm still in a flare

from my 2nd dose of Pfizer. I wish they would come out with a non-mRNA vaccine that one that actually prevents transmission. In the meantime, I just have to depend on my mask and social distancing as much is possible.

However, I do worry that the vaccine gives a false sense of security and people still need to take care to protect themselves.

I have 2 family members, including my dad, who died of Covid despite getting vaccinated/boosted. I think people think that vaccinated people who die of Covid are in their 90s, in frail health, or already in hospice with days to live. Not true. My dad was in his early 70s and had no chronic conditions, was active, and not overweight. So was the other family member (an inlaw), she was on a kayaking vacation when she caught Covid and died from it.

[JCMach1]

11. I was a very healthy 54yo when I caught it the first time.

It nearly killed me and left me pretty debilitated. So, it seems to have a vendetta against me. But, I assume at least vaccines are keeping me out of hospital.