what is the new covid vaccine called 2023

The new COVID-19 vaccine for the 2023-2024 season is based on a variant called XBB.1.5. It is a monovalent mRNA vaccine that corresponds to the Omicron variant XBB.1.5 of SARS-CoV-2. The updated vaccines are manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech and are authorized for everyone aged 6 months and older. The FDA approved the updated vaccines in mid-September 2023, and they are expected to provide better protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 during the fall and winter months. The vaccines are designed to work against currently circulating variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the XBB.1.5 strain and other related variants such as EG.5 and BA.2.86. The updated COVID-19 vaccine is anticipated to prevent 400,000 hospitalizations and 40,000 deaths over the next two years