

The updated, called bivalent, vaccines continue to prevent serious illness in those who are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Both now include the original and omicron variants of the virus that causes COVID-19.
#Side effect of pfizer booster update#
In August 2022, the FDA authorized an update to the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. The number of shots needed varies based on a person's age and COVID-19 vaccination history. The vaccine is authorized for use in people age 6 months and older. The vaccine is approved under the name Spikevax for people age 18 and older. Based on clinical trial data the vaccine effect was predicted for younger people. In December 2020, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was found to be both safe and about 93% effective in preventing infection among study volunteers, all age 18 or older.īased on the comparison between people who got COVID-19 in the placebo group, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was 98% effective at preventing serious COVID-19 illness. This vaccine also was first tested against the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19. The number of shots in this vaccination series varies based on a person's age and COVID-19 vaccination history. It is authorized for people age 6 months and older. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is approved under the name Comirnaty for people age 12 and older.


This data helped predict how well the vaccines would work for younger people. In December 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 2-dose series was found to be both safe and 91% to 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection in people age 18 and older. This vaccine was first tested against the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, which began spreading at the end of 2019. Vaccines with FDA emergency use authorization or approval include: But the data still had to show that the vaccines were safe and effective. So the FDA first gave emergency use authorization to COVID-19 vaccines based on less data than is typically required.
