The U.S. will likely offer booster shots for fully vaccinated Americans six months after their last COVID-19 vaccine was administered, instead of the eight-month gap that had been previously announced, a source familiar with the planning process told The Wall Street Journal Aug. 25.
The U.S. said Aug. 18 it is prepared to offer booster shots for all Americans who received two doses of Pfizer or Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine beginning the week of Sept. 20 and starting eight months after an individual's second dose.
HHS said its plan is contingent upon FDA approval for COVID-19 boosters, which hasn't been granted yet. The agency amended the emergency use authorizations for Pfizer's and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines Aug. 12, allowing for a third dose in immunocompromised people, but not yet for the rest of the population.
The day after HHS announced its booster plan, Bloomberg reported the CDC had pushed back its advisory panel meeting to discuss COVID-19 booster shots for the general population by one week, as medical professionals are split over whether the shots are necessary.
The FDA and CDC are reviewing booster data from vaccine makers and other countries, and this data is based on boosters being administered at six months after full vaccination, the source told The Wall Street Journal.
The source also said approval for boosters manufactured by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson is expected in mid-September.