US COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Plan Also Boosts Pressure On FDA

The plan’s White House announcement was described as a transparency move, but meeting its 20 September target start date requires both the FDA and ACIP to act quickly on boosters.    

third vaccine shot
The US government plans to begin administering COVID-19 booster shots in late September. • Source: Alamy

The White House has amped up pressure on the US Food and Drug Administration to quickly complete assessments of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots by unveiling a plan to make them available to everyone in the US in about a month.

Federal officials announced 18 August that data indicates vaccine efficacy against infection declines over time and that preparations should begin for a widespread adult booster shot program. Individuals who received the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer Inc./BioNTech SE and Moderna, Inc. should prepare to get a third shot eight months after their second jab, they said

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