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The FDA could approve booster shots of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for all adults by this week.
Moderna announced Wednesday that they have applied for FDA authorization. Federal regulators are considering similar requests from Pfizer this week.
Anyone who has received booster shots at least six months ago from either the FDA or CDC would be eligible for a booster shot if they have signed off. If both shots are approved, patients are able to choose which vaccine they wish to receive as a booster The New York Times reported.
At present, additional shots of the Pfizer vaccine are approved for people who are 65 and over, have high risk due to chronic health conditions, or live and work in high-risk settings.
The newspaper reported that the federal regulators do not make a decision on Moderna’s request this week, the FDA and CDC will likely allow all adults to receive an extra dose of the Pfizer booster.
Since September since September, the Biden administration has been pushing for a wide-spread access to boosters. Anthony Fauci MD, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseasess, called for boosters to prevent sickness, not only hospitalization and deaths.
“I do not know of any other vaccine that would only concern about keeping people out of hospitals,” he stated during an White House briefing.
He said, “I believe it is essential to stop people from developing symptomatic diseases,” including long-term consequences.
According to the most recent CDC data more than 31,000,000 Americans have received an additional shot. Around 37% of vaccine-vaccinated adults 65 and older have received an additional shot.
A increasing number of cities and states have decided to offer booster shots to all adults ahead of the federal decision according to the Times.. As of Wednesday, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine and Vermont were among the states to join the list. Within the past week, Arkansas, California, Colorado, New York City and New Mexico have encouraged all adults to seek an extra shot, as COVID-19 cases begin to increase.
Sources:
New York Times – “The FDA could authorize Moderna boosts for all adults as soon as this week.”
C-SPAN: White House COVID-19 Response team briefing, November. 17, 2021
CDC: “COVID-19 Vaccinations for the United States.”
WebMD: “FDA Authorizes Pfizer Booster Shots For All Adults This Week”
