Feds look ahead to next-generation COVID vaccines

As the nation grapples with surges of Omicron subvariants that evade immunity from vaccination and previous infection, officials and pharmaceutical companies are starting talks on how to improve the shots and make them easier to administer.In a related development, federal officials have signaled that second boosters for those under 50 are on hold to speed production of new bivalent shots.Wish list: broader protection, easier administration The White House tomorrow will host a summit on the future of COVID-19 vaccines, which will be streamed online.

One of the main topics is speeding development of a more broadly protective COVID-19 vaccine.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine advisory group recently recommended a bivalent booster shot that includes the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and an Omicron variant, and at the meeting, several members aired concerns that officials will more frequently face the challenge of tweaking the vaccine to keep up with the quickly evolving virus.At the global level, researchers are working on a roadmap for developing a new coronavirus vaccine to broadly protect against the most dangerous ones.At tomorrow's summit, experts will also discuss new options for delivering the vaccines, especially ways to make them easier to administer, such as intranasal or patch formulations.

Participants will also tackle vaccine equity at both the domestic and global levels.Second booster holding pattern for under-50 adultsAs the BA.5 variant fuels outbreaks in several parts of the country, with hospitalizations also on the rise, federal officials have urged eligible groups to get their booster doses, especially those over 50 who are recommended to get a second booster.