Some Americans May Be Eligible for End-September Grants,

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that Americans who receive Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines will be able to receive booster vaccines eight months after receiving their second dose.

Healthcare workers, nursing home residents, and other older adults who are vaccinated early will be in first place from 20 September. “We’re starting to see evidence of decreased protection against mild to moderate illness,” said officials from several federal agencies. a prepared statement.

The protection that vaccines offer against severe illness, hospitalization and death could decline in the coming months, especially among high-risk groups who are vaccinated early, officials said. “Therefore, we concluded that a booster vaccine would be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and extend its durability.”

Additional doses may also be required in people who have the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. However, officials said that this vaccine wasn’t released until March 2021 and that a plan to provide supplements to these individuals will be made after a review of new data is expected in the next few weeks.

Some experts quickly opposed the decision, saying that only some older adults and people with compromised immune systems need extra protection. The World Health Organization wanted that rich countries have delayed deploying booster shots until the end of September.

“We will also continue to expand our efforts to increase the supply of vaccines for other countries, by further increasing the more than 600 million doses we have pledged to donate globally,” federal officials said.

Before Americans begin taking supplements, the Food and Drug Administration must first approve the third dose of mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and an advisory committee from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should review the evidence and make recommendations. .

Federal officials plan to start by offering booster vaccines directly to residents of long-term care facilities, as vaccines are distributed to this population early on in the market and the virus poses a particular threat to the elderly.

“We will continue to monitor the science on a daily basis, and we are prepared to change this plan if new data emerges that require it,” federal officials said. Said.