- Israel and other countries are rolling out third doses of COVID-19 vaccines to people fully vaccinated. But more research is needed on the benefits and timing of booster doses.
- Germany plans to start offering booster doses in September to older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The United Kingdom will also begin its own booster rollout next month.
- The United States has yet to fully embrace COVID-19 boosters.
As Delta variant surges threaten to erode pandemic progress, some highly vaccinated countries are offering booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines to their citizens.
This week, Israel began administering third doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to people over age 60 who are already fully vaccinated, reports the Associated Press.
According to Reuters, Germany plans to start offering booster doses in September to older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The United Kingdom will also begin its own booster rollout next month.
The United States has yet to fully embrace COVID-19 boosters, but it’s edging in that direction.
As recently as early July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said “Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time.”
But the agencies added that they’re continuing to monitor the scientific data in order to decide if and when a booster might be needed.
However, Biden administration officials are warming to the possibility that older adults and immunocompromised people who’ve had two doses of an mRNA vaccine — Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna-NIAID — might need a third dose.
In addition, the CDC’s Dr. Amanda Cohn said the agency is “actively looking into ways” to provide certain people access to booster doses “earlier than any potential change in regulatory decisions,” according to The New York Times.
The FDA would need to modify a vaccine’s current emergency use authorization (EUA) to allow a booster dose to be given. Another option would be full FDA approval, which would enable doctors to recommend a booster dose “off-label.”
The FDA could make a decision on full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by early September, reports the Times.
In anticipation of the potential need for boosters — in addition to vaccinating children under age 12 if the FDA approves the vaccines for this group — the U.S. government is bolstering its vaccine supply, reports Reuters.
Source: healthline