The FDA has announced that adults 50 and older are now eligible to get a second COVID-19 booster shot. The news came from the agency Tuesday (March 29), and the boosters are approved for both Pfizer and Moderna.
According to the emergency authorization, those 50 and older now quality for a second booster at least four months after getting their first booster shot. To date, the Centers for Disease Control reports that more than 97 million Americans have gotten their booster shot.
“This action will now make a second booster dose of these vaccines available to other populations at higher risk for severe disease, hospitalization and death,” the FDA said in a statement.
In addition, the FDA has authorized a second booster of the Pfizer vaccine for people 12 years of age and older who are immunocompromised. Immunocompromised individuals 18 years of age and older are approved to receive Moderna’s second booster.
“Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals. Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals,” Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
