- The Biden administration is preparing to offer a third COVID-19 shot from vaccine developers Pfizer (PFE +1.7%)/BioNTech (BNTX -2.0%) and Moderna (MRNA -1.7%) starting September 20.
- The joint statement issued on Wednesday confirming the booster program was signed by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and other U.S. health leaders, CNBC reported.
- “The available data make very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease,” the statement read.
- The plan calls for all Americans who received Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) and Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) to obtain a third shot eight months after their second dose.
- A booster dose is likely needed for those who received the single-dose shot from Johnson & Johnson (JNJ -0.8%), but the plan will be announced later as relevant data are still under review, according to officials.
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The U.S. government has reportedly acquired one billion total doses of Pfizer (PFE)/ BioNTech (BNTX) and Moderna (MRNA) vaccines.
