On Sept. 24, officials finally recommended the use of COVID-19 booster shots to expand immunity against the virus for a few key groups.
Health care officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that people ages 65 and older, residents of long-term care facilities, and those ages 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions can get a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine if they are at least six months past their second shot. Anyone ages 18 to 64 who work in environments that make them especially vulnerable to COVID-19, like first responders or essential workers, are also included.
Severely immunocompromised people were already eligible for a third dose of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s two-dose series, also six months after they received their second shot. Those who were fully vaccinated with Moderna or Johnson & Johnson were not included in the Sept. 24 announcement expanding booster eligibility. The two are currently going through the booster approval process with the CDC and FDA.
