US government purchase of Omicron-specific vaccines raises unanswered questions: media

LOS ANGELES - The United States has authorized Omicron-specific vaccines last month, but for those familiar with the business tactics of the pharmaceutical industry, the messaging has caused considerable heartburn and raised an array of unanswered concerns, said a report of Kaiser Health News.

The updated shots easily clear the "safe and effective" bar for government authorization, said the report published on Monday.

"But in the real world, are the Omicron-specific vaccines significantly more protective -- and in what ways -- than the original COVID vaccines so many have already taken?" asked the report.

"Since the federal government is purchasing these new vaccines -- and many of the original, already purchased vaccines may never find their way into taxpayers' arms -- is the 3.2 billion US dollar price tag worth the unclear benefit? Especially when these funds had to be pulled from other COVID response efforts, like testing and treatment," the report questioned.