The US government, led by President Joe Biden, has plans to give Americans aged 50 or above, the option of getting a second booster of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, without straightaway recommending that they get one, New York Times reported based on information from people familiar with the plan.
However, there are major uncertainties complicating this decision. As per New York Times, there’s no assurance on how long the protection from a second booster would last, how the plan would be explained to the public, and whether the overall goal is to protect Americans from severe illnesses, or minor infections as well.
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It hinges on when and how hard the next wave of COVID would hit the country. If another spike comes in the next couple of months, administering the booster now would arguably save numerous lives. On the contrary, if there’s no major wave by fall, then there’ll be wastage of doses, vaccination fatigue, and resultant mistrust in the government’s policy of handling COVID.
While the BA.2 subvariant of omicron, which is highly contagious, has been behind one-third of new cases in the US, New York Times reported that health officials don’t expect it to drive a major surge.
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Though federal officials have debated the way ahead, with some for a second booster, and others sceptical, they’ve now formulated a plan around those aged 50 or above, having the option of taking a second booster, if cases surge before fall. Officials say that in the fall, all Americans, irrespective of their age, should get a second booster dose.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could authorize a second booster early in the coming week, New York Times reported from people familiar with these discussions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will follow up with its own advice.
