covid vaccines

Experts say the new COVID boosters are a much closer match to currently circulating variants than prior vaccines and boosters.

The new COVID boosters are coming: Here's what you need to know

8:52pm September 13, 2023

Updated versions of the mRNA vaccines roll out this week. Experts say they offer good protection against current COVID variants. Who should get them, and when's the best time to roll up your sleeve?

Another round of COVID-19 vaccines is on the way. The Food and Drug Administration approved vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that target an omicron subvariant called XBB.1.5. Vaccination campaigns, like this one in San Rafael, Calif., in 2022, could resume soon.

Health & Safety

New COVID vaccines get FDA approval

4:39pm September 11, 2023

by Rob Stein

Vaccines for a fall immunization drive against COVID-19 just got the green light from the Food and Drug Administration. The agency says the vaccines can protect people, as hospitalizations tick up.

Shana Alesi administers a COVID-19 booster vaccine to Marine Corps veteran Bill Fatz at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Ill., in 2021. A new round of boosters could become available for some people this spring.

Health & Safety

The FDA may soon authorize a spring round of COVID-19 boosters for some people

1:22pm March 29, 2023

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration appears poised to make available the COVID-19 vaccines that target omicron as a second booster for people with weak immune systems and those ages 65 and older.

Queue Listen Now

An older adult receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary vaccination site on Dec. 7 in Chongqing, China. Concerns about effectiveness and safety have led to uncertainty about the COVID vaccine, notably among older citizens, whose vaccination rate is relatively low.

China's COVID vaccines: Do the jabs do the job?

7:43pm December 31, 2022

by Michaeleen Doucleff

As case counts surge in China, rumors circulate about the effectiveness and safety of the made-in-China vaccines in use there. Here's what we know about CoronaVac and Sinopharm.

Queue Listen Now

Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are readied for use at a clinic in Richmond, Va., Nov. 2022. Just 15% of eligible Americans have gotten the most recent booster shot, according to the CDC.

It's not too late to get a COVID booster — especially for older adults

5:01am December 28, 2022

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Public health officials want more Americans to get the latest COVID vaccine booster. Only 35% of people over 65 have gotten the shot, though 75% of COVID deaths are among people in this age group.

Travelers at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, China on Dec. 12. China's public health officials say up to 800 million people could be infected with the coronavirus over the next few months.

Health & Safety

COVID spreading faster than ever in China. 800 million could be infected this winter

12:10pm December 15, 2022

Scientists predict China will see the largest COVID surge of the pandemic this winter, with hundreds of millions of people infected. But some experts say that it could have been even worse.

Queue Listen Now

Coronavirus (booster) FAQ: Can it cause a positive test? When should you get it?

12:19pm October 04, 2022

by Max Barnhart

There is a lot of information about coronavirus vaccines out there, and some of it seems vague or contradictory. We talked to experts to help answer some of the most common and confusing questions.

The new COVID boosters rolling out this month represent a shift in strategy, said White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha during a press briefing. The goal now will likely be to roll out new boosters annually.

The new COVID booster could be the last you'll need for a year, federal officials say

9:05pm September 06, 2022

The COVID-19 vaccine strategy may be shifting toward Americans getting yearly vaccinations, like many do with annual flu shots.

Queue Listen Now

Vials of the newly reformulated COVID-19 vaccine booster are being readied by Pfizer for distribution now that the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the shots for people 12 and older.

Health & Safety

FDA authorizes first revamp of COVID vaccines to target omicron

11:01am August 31, 2022

The new shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants that most people are catching now.

A single-use syringe awaits to be filled with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna has sued rival drugmakers for patent infringement.

Health & Safety

Moderna sues Pfizer over COVID-19 vaccine patents

11:23am August 26, 2022

The vaccine maker alleges that its rivals Pfizer and BioNTech used some patented features of its mRNA technology to develop their COVID vaccines.