The US Food and Drug Administration is signing off on updated COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech offer the updated vaccines that are each approved for people 12 and older and are authorized under emergency use for individuals 6 months through 11 years old.

As part of the FDA’s update, the original bivalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States.

As reported by CNN, “Vaccination remains critical to public health and continued protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death,” according to Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

A news release Monday states, “The public can be assured that these updated vaccines have met the agency’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality. We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated.”

94.1 WGFA