The Biden administration is securing orders for bivalent vaccines that are expected to combine the original Wuhan strain with Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended the new vaccine be ready for the fall, although FDA advisors conceded in meeting discussions that they cannot predict what will be circulating predominantly in the coming months.
As of Aug. 6, 2022, Omicron subvariant BA.5 represented 87% of the circulating virus, BA.4 was at 7%, and BA.4.6 at 5%.1 Although there have been variations of other SARS-CoV-2 variants, none have mutated into as many offshoots as Omicron.
The general thinking by the FDA was that including the most current subvariant in a fall booster shot would at least bring human immunity that much closer to whatever it is evolving toward. BA.5 has taken immune escape to a new level, proving capable of infecting those fully vaccinated and boosted, although the majority remain protected from serious disease. The federal government is purchasing millions of doses from both Moderna and Pfizer, with both companies ready to expand production if additional funding is granted by Congress.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID Data Tracker: Variant proportions. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions
