LANCASTER, Pa. — The Biden Administration unveiled plans today to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.
The roll out of the shots will begin on Sept. 20 for any adult who is fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and has reached eight months past their second dose.
The move comes as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread and health experts worry that vaccine protection is waning.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a press briefing that new data shows that vaccine protection does decrease, especially amongst the elderly population.
“Today, CDC will also publish data from our National Health Care Safety Network…this data demonstrates that vaccine effectiveness declined over time from 75% in March to 53% as recently as August 1st, 2021. This represents a substantial decline in the vaccine effectiveness against infection among those who are most vulnerable."
U.S. health officials said the hope is that the booster shots will offer increased protection, "for that reason, we conclude that a booster shot will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability."
However, Walensky emphasized that the vaccines are still extremely effective against COVID-19 and offer the best protection currently available.
The CDC also said data is continuing to be reviewed for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine which is currently not recommended for a booster dose.