(WXYZ) — The tridemic illnesses continue to sweep through our communities. COVID, RSV, and influenza are particularly hard on vulnerable populations. But two key developments provide hope. The FDA has approved updated COVID booster shots for young children, and they’ve agreed to a priority review of Pfizer’s RSV vaccine candidate for older adults.
It’s been a tough RSV season so far, and some of my older patients have been pretty sick. That’s why I’m pretty excited about Pfizer’s RSV vaccine that’s been developed for ages 60 and up. Now an expedited process means that the timeline for the FDA to review the vaccine has been shortened - by four months. That’s substantial.
Now Pfizer’s clinical trial found the drug called RSVpreF to be 85.7% effective at preventing severe illness. Severe illness was defined as three or more symptoms. It was also found to be 66.7% effective at preventing milder illness – that’s defined as two or more symptoms. On top of that good news, no safety concerns were identified.
In my opinion, an RSV vaccine is long overdue. Right now, so many seniors have been hospitalized with RSV – the rate is actually ten times what the numbers were before the Covid pandemic. Plus, RSV can also be deadly, every year, between six and ten thousand seniors die because of this respiratory virus.
As for a final decision by the FDA, that’s expected in May 2023. If granted federal approval, it could be available by fall 2023.
The FDA recently approved updated coronavirus shots for young children.
Moderna now has an updated booster shot that’s been authorized for children ages 6 months through 5 years. Children will be able to get it two months after they’ve been fully vaccinated with Moderna’s primary two-dose series.
The FDA also cleared Pfizer’s updated shot for children 6 months through 4 years. This shot is not considered a booster. Instead, it will replace Pfizer’s third dose in its primary series for kids.
Both Moderna’s booster and Pfizer’s third shot are “bivalent." Meaning they target the original version of the virus plus omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
Now, parents might be thinking, why bother scheduling a booster shot when BA.4 and BA.5 are no longer the dominant strains? Well, the updated formulation still provides improved protection against the newer omicron subvariants. That includes BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, which are responsible for over 60 percent of cases here in the US.
I believe it’s important to protect kids – all ages in fact - from respiratory illnesses. I’m a parent, and I can tell you that my kids are vaccinated against both COVID and the flu. And myself as well. I don’t expect vaccines to protect us 100%, but they can protect against severe illness, which can lead to hospitalization, even death. No matter what your age. So I encourage everyone to get vaccinated against COVID and the flu if they’re eligible.
It seems like every day, there's a new fitness trend that will whip you into shape. But do any of these work? And can some of these hot new workout fads be dangerous? To answer those questions, Dr. Nandi, MD is joined by celebrity nutritionist Cynthia Sass and “The Biggest Loser” personal trainer Brett Hoebel. They discuss what works, what doesn’t, and how to properly and safely get fit! Tune in Sunday, December 11th, at 1 pm.
