US Clears Updated COVID Boosters Targeting Newest Variants
SnopesJUL 2022
Overall there's reason to be hopeful. The number of new COVID cases and deaths has been falling nearly everywhere in the world. However, this fall and winter in the Northern Hemisphere could see another spike in hospitalizations and deaths, so the roll-out of an Omicron-specific booster is the perfect timing in this ongoing battle against the virus.
There are a lot of questions here. Without long-term human trials, it's unclear if these new boosters will be widely accepted by the public. In addition, it's uncertain if they will be any more effective than the original formula, which is still highly efficient at preventing severe illness and death. The public should also be educated that the new formula will not reduce the number of total infections - we may need to proceed with caution and limit our expectations.