On Nov. 19, the FDA authorized Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine boosters to all adults, enabling people to receive a booster shot at least six months after completing their primary series.
If the CDC signs off on broader use, the shots could become available to U.S. adults as early as Nov. 20.
Here are five more recent updates on booster shots:
1. About 32.5 million people — about 17 percent of the nations' fully vaccinated population — had received their booster as of Nov. 19, including more than 18 million people ages 65 and older, CDC data shows.
2. As COVID-19 cases trend upward ahead of the holiday season, at least seven cities and states had formally opened up eligibility for booster shots ahead of the federal expansion, including Colorado, which has seen a large surge in cases and hospitalizations. The state expanded booster eligibility Nov. 10, just a day after Colorado reactivated crisis standards of care for staffing of healthcare systems.
3. A Nov. 11 analysis of state data by The Washington Post found the rate at which fully vaccinated people are getting COVID-19 boosters is highest in states with the lowest vaccination rates and surging cases. Nearly 1 in 5 vaccinated Montanans had received boosters at the time, ranking second in the nation. Vermont is the outlier with both the nation's highest vaccination and booster rate.
4. Earlier this month, health officials in California pointed to a low uptake of booster shots as a factor behind rising COVID-19 hospitalizations in some parts of the state. While many areas of the state that have been experiencing spikes in hospitalizations had lower vaccination rates, hospitalizations had also risen in Orange County, which has reported a high vaccination rate. From Oct. 31 through Nov. 9, the county saw a 16 percent rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
5. University Hospital in Newark, N.J., implemented a booster mandate Oct. 27 for employees who received Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine. For the nearly 15 million people nationwide who received Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, the CDC recommends they get their booster shot after at least two months has elapsed since their initial J&J shot.