The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 booster shots for all United States adults 18 and older today, expanding eligibility to more than 180 million individuals. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel also signed off on the decision, making every American vaccinated at least six months ago eligible for a booster shot of their choosing—with approval from CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. But experts have been divided over whether booster shots are necessary for those beyond the most vulnerable. There has been more agreement among experts about the need to offer extra protection to adults over 65. The declines observed in vaccine effectiveness for this age group may have greater repercussions, since older people face a higher risk of hospitalization from Covid.
CSSE is reporting 47,624,106 positive cases in the U.S. and 770,106 deaths.
