US approves fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose for those above 50

A fourth dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for those aged 50 and above has been authorised in the US for improved protection against severe Covid-19. — AFP

The United States authorised a fourth dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for people 50 and older on March 29 (2022), as authorities warn of a possible new wave driven by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 viral variant.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement that it had based its decision on emerging evidence that an additional booster, given four months after the last, improved protection against severe Covid-19 and wasn’t associated with new safety concerns.