Millions of adults in the US are now eligible for a SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccine, the Washington Post reports.
Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized booster doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, as the Verge reports. It notes that the Moderna vaccine booster, which is a half-dose as compared to the initial shots, was authorized for individuals 65 years old and older and for younger at-risk individuals six months after their first vaccinations, like the Pfizer-BioNTech booster. The J&J booster, meanwhile, was authorized for everyone who received that vaccine initially after two months, it adds. The Verge adds that the FDA further said it would allow the mixing and matching of vaccines.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now OK'd that approach, the Post reports. This, it adds, sets the stage for millions of US adults to sign up for a booster.
"The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe — as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky says in a statement. "And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating Delta variant."