Vaccines

New Omicron-specific vaccines offer similar protection to existing boosters Nature - Updated COVID jabs have been approved in the United States and United Kingdom, but they offer roughly the same protection as existing vaccines, a study suggests. Callaway, Ewen nature

In the coming days, people in the United States and the United Kingdom will be among the first to receive a new breed of COVID-19 vaccine. The hope was that these updated vaccines — based on Omicron variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus — would offer substantially greater protection than older vaccines based on the strain of the virus that emerged in 2019.

China approved a COVID-19 vaccine mist that can be inhaled: the first needle-free booster option The nasal mist is meant to be used as a booster dose after an initial shot of the COVID-19 vaccine by CanSino, a Chinese vaccine maker. YahooNews

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Regulators in China approved a COVID-19 vaccine mist for use as a booster dose, making it the first alternative to injectable vaccines used during the pandemic.

CDC vaccine advisers vote to recommend updated Covid-19 boosters The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent vaccine advisers voted 13-1 Thursday to recommend updated Covid-19 vaccine boosters from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. Brenda Goodman, CNN CNN

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Germany to start Omicron-adapted COVID vaccinations next week - minister Germany can next week start using COVID-19 vaccines which have been adapted for the Omicron variant and got approval for use in the European Union on Thursday, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said. Reuters Reuters

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