The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines for all adults six months after having been fully vaccinated with the shots from either Pfizer and partner BioNTech, or Moderna
The FDA said its decision was supported by data showing that a third round of shots increased the immune response to the virus in studies of both the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.
More than 32 million Americans have already received boosters, which had been approved for people in several categories in the United States. Some states in recent days had opened them to all adults ahead of FDA authorization, creating a patchwork of eligibility."The current guidelines - though well intentioned and thoughtful - generate an obstacle to uptake of boosters.
"Our concern is that eligible individuals are not receiving boosters right now," Shah said, noting that no states had voiced opposition to the expanding eligibility. The Biden Administration first proposed boosters for everyone in August, but has made them available in stages as health experts argued there was not enough scientific data to support the need for further vaccination in all groups.
Booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been available for people who are immunocompromised, those aged 65 and above, and for individuals at high-risk of severe disease or who are regularly exposed to the virus through work or living conditions.
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