Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster shots greenlighted by CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally recommended booster shots for many recipients of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday. As a result, up to 99 million Americans are now eligible for additional doses.

Providers expect to administer the first booster shots for the newly eligible Americans as early as tomorrow. 

"These recommendations are another example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19. The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe – as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement Thursday. 

The CDC's move follows an hours-long meeting of the agency's outside vaccine advisers, who ultimately voted unanimously for recommending the boosters.