Today the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a second booster shot for Americans over 50 and for those 12 years and older who are immunocompromised.
"Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals. Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals," said Peter Marks, MD, PhD, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a press release.
The authorization is for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines only, and both shots should be administered at least 4 months after the first booster dose.
The CDC COVID Data Tracker shows that 65.5% of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, 76.9% have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 44.8% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster dose.
It's unclear if the Omicron BA.2 subvariant now dominant in the United Kingdom—will cause a surge in new COVID-19 cases in the United States, but some experts believe Americans most at risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes should get a booster.
BA.2 now makes up more than half of sequenced samples in the United States, or 55%, up from 35% last week.
Read more...