Top health officials in the federal government announced plans Wednesday to green light COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans in an effort to amplify protection against the virus as case numbers and hospitalizations soar across the U.S.
The plan was outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as partnering agencies, calls for an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine eight months after receiving the second dose.
Administration of those doses could begin as soon as the week of September 20.
As of now, the timeline for giving booster doses to those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has not been released. Federal officials said it was likely, but that the Food and Drug Administration is still looking at data to determine the best time for it.
However, the eight month mark is not perfect science. Health officials admitted that there was a bit of an estimation happening, since there is somewhat limited data available across the board to understand when protection is that depleted following the first shot.
Officials said that the data is clear at this point that protection from COVID-19 wanes over time. In other parts of the world, like Israel, severe cases of COVID-19 have arisen in inoculated people.
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