FDA approves boosters for BA.5 COVID variant. Tarrant County has preordered doses
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of a COVID booster for the BA.5 variant Wednesday, and Tarrant County Public Health has preordered its shipment.
Emergency use authorization was granted for the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to use as a single dose at least two months after receiving a primary or booster vaccination.
The Moderna booster has been approved for individuals 18 years or older. The Pfizer booster has been approved for those 12 years of age and older.
Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will be available at Tarrant County Public Health clinics and at mobile vaccination events.
As of Wednesday, Tarrant County Public Health officials said they did not have an estimated date for when the boosters will arrive.
BA.5 has been the dominant COVID strain in the country this summer, causing a spike in cases in June. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BA.5 makes up about 88.7% of all COVID cases reported as of Saturday.
The BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variants are expected to circulate this fall and winter, FDA officials said.
While BA.5 does not lead to a higher death rate, the variant is hypercontagious and more resistant to messenger RNA vaccines, such as Moderna and Pfizer, than earlier omicron strains, according to Mayo Clinic health officals.
According to the FDA, the updated boosters include an mRNA component of the original strain to provide an immune response that is protective against COVID-19 and an mRNA component in common between the omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5 lineages. The omicron variant components were used to provide better protection against the omicron variant strains.
“All vaccine providers including pharmacies and doctor’s offices are encouraged to order a supply to meet the needs of COVID vaccine in our community,” a Tarrant County Public Health spokesperson said in a statement.
