President Biden and HHS Outlines Plan for COVID-19 Booster Shots

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a joint statement with medical experts on the Administration’s plan for COVID-19 booster shots.

The statement highlights that the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States continue to be effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death. However, the available data indicate that protection against the COVID-19 infection begins to decrease over time against mild and moderate disease. A plan is currently under development to begin widespread administering of booster shots for the mRNA vaccines starting September 20 to maximize vaccine-induced protection.

Administration of booster shots is dependent on authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and approval from the CDC.