WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has decided that most Americans should get a coronavirus booster shot eight months after completing their initial vaccination, and could start offering additional shots in mid-September, according to two administration officials familiar with the discussion. .
Officials plan to announce the administration’s decision earlier this week. His goal is to let Americans know now that they will need additional protection against the delta variant that is causing a growing caseload nationwide.
The first booster is likely to go to nursing home residents and health care workers, followed by other older people who were at the forefront of the introduction of vaccination late last year. Officials envision giving people the same vaccine they had originally received.
In other worrying signs, Biden administration officials are particularly concerned about data from Israel, which show that Pfizer-BioNtech’s protection against serious disease has dropped significantly for elderly people who were vaccinated in January or February. Was. had gone.