April 04, 2022

FDA, CDC Clear Second COVID-19 Boosters for Americans Age 50 and Older

This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized additional doses of the COVID-19 booster shot for adults over the age of 50. Following the decision, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its booster recommendations to include this newly eligible group. The FDA also updated its authorization of additional doses for people 12 and older who are immunocompromised.

FDA and CDC officials said that those who are eligible should wait at least four months after their initial booster before receiving a second dose, as the immunity to COVID-19 has been shown to decline over the course of several months.

“It’s the same as flu vaccination,” said Dr. Jorge Salinas, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford University. “We get vaccinated once a year, and we open it pretty early. But some people have shown that if you do it too early, you can lose a bit of the protection towards the tail end of the flu season.”

Officials stated that additional booster doses may be recommended to broader swaths of Americans later in the year. For those currently eligible for the second booster, pharmacies and doctors offices are expected to become the primary sites where people can receive their vaccinations.

“Once again, we’re recognizing the importance of following the advice of the CDC,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “These second doses provide added protection from a pandemic that has inflicted an awfully heavy toll on older Americans.”