
Health officials announced that some fully vaccinated US adults will be eligible to receive a Covid-19 booster dose starting in September, during a White House update.
Here are key things to know about the booster dose roll-out and requirements:
- Who is eligible for the booster shot? Fully vaccinated adults (18 years and older) who received two doses of an mRNA vaccine will be eligible.
- When will people be able to receive an extra dose? Booster doses will be available starting Sept. 20, 2021.
- How long after your initial vaccination do you have to wait? The booster dose will be administered to qualifying adults eights months after their second Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine. For example, if you received your second vaccine dose on Feb. 1, 2021, you would be eligible for a booster Oct. 1, 2021.
- What about people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said that he anticipates that those who received the J&J vaccine will also need a booster shot, but added that more data should come in the following weeks.
Health officials said the rollout ensures that vulnerable populations — who were first to get initial doses of the vaccine — will be eligible first for the booster shot. This includes health care providers, nursing home residents and other seniors.
Murthy noted that the current roll-out plan is pending on "FDA conducting an independent evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of a third dose of the Pfizer and Modern mRNA vaccines. And the CDC's advisory committee on immunization practices issuing booster dose recommendations ,based on a thorough review of the evidence."