FDA advisory panel recommends COVID vaccine update for Omicron

A key FDA advisory committee voted Tuesday to recommend an Omicron-specific update to COVID-19 booster vaccines expected to be rolled out within the next few months.

Why it matters: As the Omicron continues to circulate and mutate — and vaccine protection wanes in much of the population — experts worry about renewed surges of COVID-19 infections this fall.

• Evaluating some preliminary data from Pfizer and Moderna, officials concluded in the 19-2 vote that vaccines modified to include Omicron protection would help improve America's defenses.

Zoom in: The latest CDC data released Tuesday shows the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 now make up more than 50% of the virus circulating in the U.S.