New York Daily News: MANHATTAN, By Theresa Braine – The Biden administration will soon recommend coronavirus vaccine booster shots for all Americans eight months after they got the initial jabs.
 
Boosters could begin as early as mid-September for people who got vaccinated last winter — which would most likely start with nursing home residents, health care workers and older people who got shots when the vaccines first rolled out in late 2020, The Associated Press reported late Monday, citing administration officials familiar with the discussions.

Two things are fueling the decision, federal officials said: the delta variant and its resulting surges merit extra protection, and data from Israel indicating immunity dropped sharply for older people who got shots last year.

An announcement on the US booster recommendation was expected as soon as this week, the AP reported. .

The US Food and Drug Administration has already authorized third shots for the immunocompromised, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, has said extra jabs for the elderly were likely not far behind.

Many countries have started to administer coronavirus vaccines to their citizens as COVID-19 cases top 132 million worldwide.

Vaccine maker Pfizer has been recommending a third shot and making a case to the government for it. Fauci and others have said they would review the evidence and make a determination.Doses would only begin to be administered widely once the FDA formally approves the vaccines. That action is expected for the Pfizer shot in the coming weeks.

With News Wire Services

Theresa Braine has written breaking news for the New York Daily News National Desk since November 2018, with an emphasis on environmental reporting and indigenous issues. She has worked as a freelance foreign correspondent based in Mexico City and has been a copy editor and copy chief for various national magazines.

  • Top Feature Photo: Lisbeth Fernandez with NOELA Community Health Care administers a COVID-19 vaccination dose to a resident on August 14, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana – Mario Tama/Getty Images