Washington: US regulators on Friday opened up COVID-19 booster shots to all adults, expanding the government's campaign to shore up protection and get ahead of rising coronavirus cases that may worsen with the holidays.
Pfizer and Moderna announced the Food and Drug Administration's decision after at least 10 states already had started offering boosters to all adults.
The latest action simplifies what until now has been a confusing list of who's eligible by allowing anyone 18 or older to choose either company's booster six months after their last dose — regardless of which vaccine they had first.
But there's one more step: The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention must agree to expand Pfizer and Moderna boosters to even healthy young adults. Its scientific advisers were set to debate on this later Friday.
If the CDC agrees, tens of millions more Americans could have three doses of protection ahead of the new year. Anyone who got the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can already get a booster.
All three COVID-19 vaccines used in the US still offer strong protection against severe illness including hospitalisation and death, but protection against infection can wane with time.
The move to expand comes as new COVID-19 cases have climbed steadily over the last two weeks, especially in states where colder weather is driving people indoors.
