Americans will get a clearer idea of how often they’ll roll up their sleeves for COVID-19 shots when advisers to U.S. regulators meet Thursday to discuss an immunization schedule that looks more like the one used for flu.
The plan would have health officials meet each June to review which strains of the virus should be included in COVID shots to be deployed no later than September of the same year, according to documents released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ahead of the Jan. 26 meeting. Moderna Inc. and the partnership of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE are the biggest makers of doses for the U.S.
Experts from around the world convene annually to make predictions about which flu strains will dominate during the upcoming season and should be targeted by shots. The FDA is looking for a similar coordinated effort to take place at least as often for COVID shots, one of several moves the agency hopes might help simplify the immunization process and encourage more Americans to stay up to date.
