CDC Recommends Updated COVID-19 Vaccines for Ages 6 Months+ Before 2024-2025 Immunization Season

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially recommended that everyone aged 6 months and older receive the latest COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-2025 immunization season, irrespective of their prior vaccination history.

This move follows a unanimous consensus from the CDC's external advisory panel, which endorsed the use of the latest FDA-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines for all individuals aged 6 months and above. The CDC clarified that this recommendation would take effect immediately once the new vaccines from Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer become available later this year.

Earlier in the month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had advised vaccine manufacturers to update their vaccines to target the KP.2 variant, replacing the previous JN.1 lineage where feasible. In response, Moderna and Novavax have submitted applications to the FDA, seeking to update their 2024 fall vaccines to target the JN.1 strain.

Novavax has stated that upon receiving FDA clearance, it plans to offer its updated vaccine at the onset of the vaccination season. The company highlighted that its vaccine provides broad cross-neutralizing antibody responses against multiple variants, including KP.2 and KP.3. Meanwhile, Pfizer remains focused on the development of its messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, known for their quicker production times compared to Novavax's protein-based vaccines.

Earlier in the year, the JN.1 variant had been the most prevalent strain in the US. Although it is no longer widespread, CDC data shows it accounted for approximately 4.4% of cases in the two weeks ending June 22nd. Presently, the KP.2 strain represents about 20.8% of cases, while the KP.3 variant has become the dominant strain, making up 33.1% of cases.

Pfizer announced that it is in discussions with global regulators, including the FDA, to evaluate the composition of future COVID-19 vaccine formulations. Moderna has also committed to ensuring that updated vaccines are ready for the fall vaccination campaign. Similarly, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have indicated that they will provide updated vaccines as soon as they receive approval.