London: US health regulators Advised on Friday covid-19 vaccine for the new shots that the makers Fall 2024 campaign should aim to Jn.1 variant which was prominent earlier this year.

Food and Drug AdministrationThe advice is in line with European and World Health Organization recommendations and comes after the agency’s advisers on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed targeting the older JN.1 variant over the new KP.2 strain.

The advisers recommended the older strain because it is the only strain that Novavax — one of the manufacturers — has developed. Vaccine Manufacturers – Said that it will be able to hit the target with its bullet.

Also, another vaccine maker, Moderna, said on Friday that it has filed an application with the FDA for its COVID-19 shot targeting the JN.1 strain.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have said they will be ready to supply their updated vaccines immediately after approval, while Moderna has estimated a timeline for August.

Novavax, which makes a more traditional protein-based vaccine, said it expects to be ready for commercial delivery of its JN.1 vaccine in the United States in September.

Novavax shares were down 9 percent in morning trade, its second consecutive trading session, while Moderna shares fell 2 percent. Pfizer shares rose 0.7 percent.

However, the use of the COVID-19 vaccine has been a matter of concern. Only 22.5 percent of adults in the United States have been vaccinated against COVID in the 2023-2024 vaccination season, data shows. US Centers for Disease Control and containment that was in place until early May.

while JN.1 was Major stresses While it wasn’t as prevalent in the U.S. earlier this year — it’s now estimated to account for 3.1 percent of cases in the two-week period ending June 8, according to C.D.C. data.

The KP2 variant is estimated to account for about 22.5 per cent of cases, and another variant, KP3, is now dominant with 25 per cent of cases. (Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Shailesh Kuber)