Due to the hyper contagious Delta variant, the Biden Administration recommends booster shots for Americans who had the Moderna and Pfizer Vaccines. The roll-out of the booster shots may start as early as September 20, 2021.
Although the recommendation is yet to be evaluated and approved by the FDA, the White House believed this is the right thing to do to raise immunization rates among Americans. It also added that by having the booster shots, Americans are one step ahead of the virus.
To receive the booster shot, the recipient must have received the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna Vaccine at least eight months prior to receiving the booster shot.
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On the other hand, Americans who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine may also be required to take another shot, but officials said this is subject to further studies.
Nonetheless, regardless of what vaccine was received, President Biden said that booster shots are the best protection against existing COVID-19 variants and the best guard against new variants that may emerge.
The recommendation for booster shots was brought about by the three studies released by the CDC. These studies found out that even though mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna continue to reduce the risk of hospitalization and mortality, the vaccines’ effectiveness decreases with time. One of the studies showed that the vaccines’ effectiveness decreased from 92% in May to about 80% in late July. Also, data from another study revealed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine’s effectiveness declined from 76% to 42%, and Moderna’s declined from 86% to 76%.
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