The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to Moderna and Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for all adults in the US, both companies said on Friday.
Previously only people ages 65 years and older, or those at higher risk of infection, had been eligible to receive the booster shots.
With the latest authorization, all Americans over 18 years who had their second dose of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines at least six months ago will be able to receive the boosters.
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“This emergency use authorization comes at a critical time as we enter the winter months and face increasing COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations across the country,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said on Friday.
The jabs may be given as early as this weekend, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) moves to authorize their distribution. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said earlier this week that the public health body would “swiftly” act when the FDA approved emergency use of the top-up shots.
The Biden administration’s booster campaign is aimed at addressing waning protection in Americans ahead of the winter season and a surge of breakthrough infections among the vaccinated.
The agency had previously approved a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for adults who had received their initial immunization at least two months before.
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