Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola Fact Checked February 03, 2023
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
When the bivalent COVID boosters against Omicron first came out, only those who had
received the initial series of shots were eligible to receive them, but uptake was
disappointing. Less than 5% of those eligible had taken a bivalent booster by October
2022, and by late January 2023, that had only risen to 16.2%
In the hopes of increasing uptake of the jab, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is
now recommending everyone get an annual COVID shot, even if you didn’t receive the
initial series
Under the new approach, most people will be advised to get whatever the latest version
of the COVID shot is, once a year, just like the flu vaccine. And, as with the flu vaccine, the
FDA’s advisory committee will meet each June to determine which SARS-CoV-2 strains
should be included in the shot given that fall
Should a particularly dangerous strain emerge, the FDA will roll out an additional
emergency jab directed specifically at that strain. Such an emergency dose would then
be given in addition to the annual shot
As with the annual flu vaccine, the FDA is not requiring reformulated mRNA shots to
undergo additional testing. Reformulations are deemed “safe and effective” based on the
original shots. The problem is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has
hid and is ignoring hundreds of safety signals found in its post-market data