Food and Drug Administration approval of Pfizer and Moderna boosters for all adults could help the U.S avoid a coronavirus surge during the holiday season.
The FDA authorized third shots for both vaccines on Friday, the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met to weigh the pros and cons of boosters for all adults. Hours later the CDC endorsed the FDA’s recommendation. The move comes as a number of states have expanded third vaccinations for adults over the past two weeks.
“We heard loud and clear that people need something simpler, and this I think is simple,” FDA vaccine chief Peter Marks, M.D., told the Associated Press.
The decision means boosters for adults 18 and older could be in the arms of tens of millions of Americans by the end of the year. Anyone who has received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is also eligible for the boosters.
The virus has been spiking in parts of the country in recent days. The upper Midwest, Colorado and Massachusetts have all reported an increase in coronavirus infections. According to the CDC, 70% of Americans 18 and older have been fully vaccinated; just under 18% of that cohort has gotten boosters.
