When news broke that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was rolling out a new plan for COVID-19 vaccine approvals, my phone instantly started buzzing. Friends, family members and colleagues all had the same question: Does this mean I can’t get a fall booster?
I wish I had a straightforward answer for them.
Despite an explanation of the new strategy published last week from FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Vinay Prasad, who oversees vaccines at the agency, public health experts were left guessing about basic details such as how it will affect access to COVID-19 shots. Do healthy people have a choice or not? What is the status of shots for kids? For an agency that has vowed to build the public’s trust by offering transparency and an open dialogue, it was a frustrating start.
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