U.S. Officials Will Make COVID-19 Booster Shots Available by Sep. 20
August 18, 2021
A recent article by USA Today titled "
COVID-19 Booster Shot for Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines Will be Available Sept. 20" expanded on the plans that will be set in motion in the upcoming weeks to counteract the spread of the Delta variant.
According to the statements released by Biden's administration, vaccines will become available on September 20. Fully vaccinated individuals will have to get a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine eight months after having received their last dose. The decision applies to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine recipients, and might also include people vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson shot once clinical trials are completed. As of now, the goal is to give people 18 and older the same vaccines they received in their original doses.
Biden's administration reached a quick consensus on the topic of booster shots after health officials acknowledged the waning effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against the Delta variant. Results from the Mayo Clinic and Israel's Ministry of Health record a decline in the Pfizer vaccine's response, which currently shows a 40-50% effectiveness range, a significant drop from its original 95%.
Upcoming vaccination plans will depend on authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. Nursing home residents, health care workers, and emergency workers are expected to get their booster shots starting September. They would be followed by the elderly population, essential workers, and teachers, depending on the priorities set by each state during the first vaccination campaign. For reference, the first shots of the vaccine were given on December 14, so those who got vaccinated last winter should be getting their booster shot sometime around mid-September.
The Delta variant caused a new surge of COVID-19 cases soon after authorities had started relaxing the country's safety bans. Hospitalization rates have gone back up since July, with 98.8% of U.S. cases being attributed to the new variant.
While global health advocates recommended postponing the allocation of booster shots to support the supply of low-income countries, officials in Israel, France, and Germany have started planning for new rounds of vaccinations, following statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which favored the distribution of booster shots among immunocompromised individuals.
You can read the complete article here:
COVID-19 Booster Shot for Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines Will be Available Sept. 20.
