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Pending authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a plan still being developed would advise Americans to get a COVID-19 booster shot eight months after becoming fully vaccinated to help stave off variants of the virus.
Both Pfizer and Moderna, two of the three shots currently being administered in the US, have already submitted initial data to the FDA regarding their booster doses of their COVID-19 vaccines and are awaiting approval.
The booster shots have been recommended for all Americans, regardless of age, particularly as the Delta variant surges across the country. They could be available as soon as early September.
“Given the high levels of immune responses observed, a booster dose given within six to 12 months after the primary vaccination schedule may help maintain a high level of protection against COVID-19,” Pfizer officials stated.
Last week, health officials authorized third COVID-19 booster shots for immunocompromised people as they look to curtail the spread of the virus.
An official announcement on US booster recommendations is expected from health officials this week. Doses would begin to be administered countrywide once they are approved for authorization by the FDA.
Once approved, health care workers, nursing home residents, and older Americans are expected to be the first group eligible to receive booster shots.
“There is a concern that the vaccine may start to wane in its effectiveness,” Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health said. “And delta is a nasty one for us to try to deal with.
“The combination of those two means we may need boosters, maybe beginning first with health care providers, as well as people in nursing homes, and then gradually moving forward.”
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