The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday that people in California who are 50 years old or older and those who are immunocompromised might get a second COVID-19 booster shot.
This decision comes as the FDA continues to review data submitted by manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna regarding their vaccines’ efficacy in preventing COVID-19.
The Pfizer or Moderna booster is available to anyone who has received the first vaccine from either manufacturer at least four months prior to the second vaccination. Those immunocompromised and over the age of 12 may now get a second Pfizer booster shot at least four months after the first. For patients aged 18 and older who are immunocompromised, the Moderna booster may be administered after the same period.
According to the agency, the advantages of the second booster exceed any dangers to these populations. For everyone else, the first booster dosage authorization remains unchanged.
Although case numbers, hospitalizations, and deaths are decreasing nationwide, health officials are closely monitoring the concerning omicron subvariant, BA.2, or “stealth omicron,” which has caused new cases to more than double in the United Kingdom in recent weeks, according to National Public Radio.
A spokesperson for the FDA said that the agency was working now on expanding the rollout of the booster shots in California.