The next meeting of the Food and Drug Administration advisory group will be held to discuss Covid-19 booster shot future in the United States and whether specific variants should be targeted by vaccines.

FDA’s Vaccines & Related Biological Product Advisory Committee will meet April 6. They will discuss when and how Covid boosters should be administered in the future, and also what time frames to update shots to target certain variants. The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee has not scheduled any vote. They are also unlikely to address Moderna or Pfizer’s latest applications for the fourth Covid vaccine doses.

Both vaccine producers and public health professionals agree that Covid will become a seasonal disease like flu. It is transmitted more during winter months, and disappears when temperatures rise again. Moderna and Pfizer CEOs have stated that annual vaccines against Covid are necessary, similar to flu shots. This is especially true for elderly people and patients with chronic conditions.

Every year, an FDA advisory panel decides what flu vaccine should go into the United States. This decision is made based on the strain of influenza that’s circulating as well as other factors. Moving forward, the FDA advisory committee is likely to adopt a similar approach for Covid vaccines.

“Now is the right time to talk about the need for future boosters. We aim to move ahead safely with COVID-19 becoming an influenza virus like other viruses that we prepare for and protect against,” stated Dr. Peter Marks of FDA’s vaccine safety team.