Advisory Panel To Discuss Expanding COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Eligibility
WASHINGTON (KDKA) - A U.S. advisory panel will discuss expanding booster eligibility today.
This move could make the shots available nationwide as early as this weekend.
Doctors are saying COVID-19 vaccines do a great job of preventing hospitalization and death, but that protection fades over time.
So the move to allow all to get a booster could help prevent a possible surge this coming Winter.
In Pennsylvania, COVID-19 cases are rising and doctors say it's a similar trend we saw last year.
When the weather gets colder, people gather more and the virus spreads.
Some cities and states already allow all adults to get boosters of Pfizer's vaccine, like West Virginia.
Right now, boosters are recommended for people who received their second Pfizer or Moderna shots at least six months ago, if they're 65 or older, at high risk of COVID-19 due to health problems, or because of their job.
"If you were already vaccinated six months or more ago and eligible for boost, get a boost," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease.
Boosters are also recommended for people who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.
So far, 31 million Americans have already received a dose beyond their original vaccination.