FDA Plans to Authorize Omicron-Specific Boosters Around Labor Day, Sources Say

The Food and Drug Administration plans to authorize updated versions of Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 boosters around Labor Day, NBC News reported, citing two people familiar with the discussions.

The Biden administration is preparing to distribute the updated booster shots to teenagers and adults as part of its fall booster campaign.

Both Pfizer's and Moderna's reformulated shots target the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants, in addition to the original coronavirus strain in a single dose. BA.5 is responsible for nearly 90% of all new COVID cases in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The FDA doesn't plan on convening its advisory panel ahead of authorization, however, the CDC would still need to sign off before shots can be distributed. According to the agency, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet on Sept. 1 and 2 to discuss the boosters.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.