Moderna asks FDA to authorize additional booster shot for all adults

Moderna has asked the FDA for an emergency authorization that would allow all adults to receive a second COVID-19 booster, the company announced on Thursday.

Why it matters: The request is likely to intensify an ongoing scientific debate over how long protection from the two most-used vaccines in the U.S. lasts in the face of new variants.

The big picture: The move towards a second booster shot is an attempt to combat waning immunity that occurs several months after a first booster shot, notes the Washington Post, which first reported that Pfizer-BioNTech were seeking an emergency authorization.