US looks at 8-month gap for boosters, report says

Faced with research showing the waning strength of COVID-19 vaccines as the Delta variant spreads across the US, the administration of President Joe Biden reportedly will recommend that people get a booster shot eight months after their second dose.

Booster shots will begin as early as mid-to-late September after an application from Pfizer and BioNTech for the additional shot of their vaccine is cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, according to The New York Times. Officials envision giving people the same vaccine they originally received.

Global access to vaccines is also important to stem the pandemic and prevent the emergence of new variants. Booster shots could crimp already tight global vaccine supplies. Last week, US health officials recommended boosters for some people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and organ transplant recipients.

On Aug 4, the head of the World Health Organization called for a moratorium on administering booster shots to help ensure that doses are available in countries where few people have received their first shots.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a news conference, called for the moratorium until at least the end of September to enable at least 10 percent of the population of every country to be vaccinated.

Pfizer is the furthest along in the regulatory approval process, so the initial booster shots could go to those who received that vaccine.

Moderna, which also produces a two-dose vaccine, has said it plans to ask regulators next month to authorize its booster shots.

Efficacy data

Johnson& Johnson is expected to release data about the efficacy of two doses of its single-shot vaccine this month.

The booster announcement by the White House had been tentatively planned for Wednesday, but it wasn't clear whether that would change, according to The Washington Post. The White House has declined to comment on the news reports.

The reports said that the first boosters are likely to go to nursing home residents, healthcare workers and emergency workers.

People who received the earliest doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were mainly healthcare workers and nursing home residents and are approaching the eight-month mark.

Research shows that the authorized vaccines offer effective protection against symptomatic COVID-19 for at least six months. But the protection diminishes over time. The move for booster shots comes amid concern about the Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine's waning immunity.