Both FDA and CDC have given the nod for Americans aged 50 years and up to receive a second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech. Older adults should wait at least four months after receiving an initial booster before getting a fourth dose, and the brand of vaccine they received earlier is not a factor.
The extra layer of protection is “especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD.
In other moves, FDA also authorized a second booster of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those aged 12 years and older who are immunocompromised and a second Moderna booster for immunocompromised persons aged 18 years and older. The additional dose “could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals,” said Peter Marks, who heads FDA’s vaccine division. Federal health officials likely will qualify the general public for an additional dose of vaccine this fall, despite signs of vaccination “fatigue.”
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that 23 percent of people polled who received at least one dose of vaccine are dead-set against getting a booster, with 24% saying they will get one only if it is mandated.