The Biden administration will start offering booster shots on September 20th to all vaccinated U.S. adults — a massive expansion to a program previously limited to those with weakened immune systems — as the coronavirus delta variant continues its spread.
Top U.S. public health officials said on Wednesday, August 18th, in a joint statement that the third dose of Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. shots “will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability.” Elderly people and healthcare workers who got their shots at the beginning of the year will be eligible for the boosters first. Officials cited a series of warning signs and data points about the declining efficacy of the vaccines over time. They acknowledged unknowns, such as whether boosters would help stem the transmission of the delta.
The warning signs and the vaccine efficacy data were enough to trigger the move, which the officials had indicated until last week was premature.“You want to stay ahead of the virus,” Anthony Fauci, infectious disease expert, said Wednesday during a briefing.
