EYECARE: Coronavirus BRIEFING: Crisis Response Tactics FDA Authorizes New COVID-19 Vaccine By Staff Tuesday, September 12, 2023 6:59 AM On Sept. 11, the FDA authorized the newest COVID-19 vaccine, the first not to target the initial or “ancestral” strain of the virus. Last year, the FDA authorized a bivalent vaccine aimed at both the old and the new. This time, it’s a “monovalent” or single-strain vaccine with one main objective: to minimize health risks, hospitalizations, and deaths associated with newer variants like the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant. It is also expected to provide some protection against related variants currently in circulation. The FDA authorization applies to vaccines made by both Pfizer and Moderna. Two steps remain before you can get the booster at your doctor’s office or local pharmacy, however. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, is expected to vote on approving the new vaccine Tuesday. Then the new director of the CDC, Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, will have to sign off. Head over to WebMD to read the full story.