The Biden Administration May Recommend COVID Boosters After 8 Months

Fully vaccinated Americans could be rolling up their sleeves for another dose of the coronavirus vaccine as soon as next month.

The Biden administration is close to advising fully vaccinated Americans get COVID-19 booster shots eight months after their last vaccine. A source familiar with the discussions among administration health experts said this recommendation could come as soon as this week.

The plan was first reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post.

The boosters would be intended to protect against the highly contagious delta variant, which has caused caseloads in the U.S. to surge. A third shot for those who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines would also help with any waning effectiveness of the current shots.

The source familiar with these discussions said administering the boosters could begin as early as mid to late September, pending authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

The New York Times reports officials expect those who received the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will need a booster shot as well. The government is waiting on recommending a second dose of Johnson & Johnson until it receives results from the company's two-dose clinical trial.

News of this impending change in vaccine policy comes just days after federal health agencies said some people with compromised immune systems should get a third shot. That recommendation applied only to people who received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.