Federal experts plan to recommend boosters of the COVID-19 vaccine for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they have received the second dose, to ensure longer protection against the coronavirus at a time when that the delta variant spreads throughout the country.
Federal health authorities have been actively examining whether additional injections would be required for those already vaccinated this fall, reviewing the numbers of cases in the United States, and also the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest that the protection of the vaccine to prevent severe illness from COVID-19 decreased among those inoculated in January.
The official announcement on the recommendation of a reinforcement in the United States is expected to take place even this week, according to two people with knowledge of the matter and who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to be able to testify. publicly about internal deliberations.
The doses would begin to be given widely once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally approves the vaccines. The Pfizer inoculation is anticipated to receive authorization in the coming weeks.
Last week, federal health authorities recommended boosters for some people with weakened immune systems, noting that they are at higher risk of catching the virus and that there is evidence that the effectiveness of vaccines decreases over time.
The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, said Sunday that the United States will decide in the next two weeks whether to offer booster shots against the coronavirus to Americans this fall.
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