Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky endorsed expanding the eligibility for coronavirus booster shots after the agency’s independent advisory panel recommended booster doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and allowing people to mix and match.
“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,” Walensky said in a statement Thursday. “They are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating delta variant.”
For those who received either of the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at six months or more after their initial series:
– 65 years and older.
– Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings.
– Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions.
– Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings.
For the nearly 15 million people who got the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago, the CDC said.
