Pfizer's single-dose shot stimulates the creation of protective antibodies, which are passed from mother to newborn via the placenta.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized a vaccination for pregnant women to protect their newborns from RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, for the first six months of life on Monday. Pfizer's single-dose shot stimulates the creation of protective antibodies, which are passed from mother to newborn via the placenta. It is the first vaccine that can protect babies from RSV, a lower respiratory virus that can be fatal in infants.
The new Abrysvo injection is licensed for pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. The same vaccine was approved for adults aged 60 and up in late May and is already accessible at select Walgreens locations.
An advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must still determine who should receive Pfizer's shot before it can be offered to the public. The vaccination will then be officially recommended by CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen. Pfizer stated that the CDC advisory committee will most likely convene in early October and that the vaccine will be made public shortly after it is formally recommended.
