U.S. FDA to soon decide on second round of Omicron-tailored boosters - WSJ

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is close to making a decision on possible authorization of a second dose of updated COVID vaccine boosters for high-risk people, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

FDA officials could make the decision within a few weeks, the report cited the sources as saying.

The regulator is considering authorizing second jabs of Omicron-targeted shots for people who are 65 years and older or who have weakened immune systems, although officials are yet to reach a final decision, the report said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would have to recommend the shots for them to become widely available after the FDA authorizes a second Omicron-tailored boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech / and Moderna .

A spokesperson for the FDA did not comment on the report.

(Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)