U.S. regulators to weigh option of 2nd booster

The Biden administration is planning to give Americans age 50 or older the option of a second booster of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine without recommending outright that they get one, according to several people familiar with the plan.

Major uncertainties have complicated the decision, including how long the protection from a second booster would last, how to explain the plan to the public and even whether the overall goal is to shield Americans from severe disease or from less serious infections as well.

Much depends on when the next wave of COVID infections will hit, and how hard. Should the nation be hit by a virulent surge in the next few months, offering a second booster now for older Americans could arguably save thousands of lives.

But if no major wave hits until the fall, extra shots now could turn out to be a questionable intervention that wastes vaccine doses, deepens vaccination fatigue and sows doubt about the government’s strategy. The highly contagious omicron subvariant BA.2 is responsible for about onethird of new cases in the United States, but health officials have said they do not anticipate a major surge caused by the subvariant.

Federal health officials have hotly debated the way forward, with some strongly in favor of a second booster now and others skeptical. But they have apparently coalesced around a plan to give everyone age 50 and up the option of an additional shot, in case infections surge again before the fall. In the fall, officials say, Americans of all ages, including anyone who gets a booster this spring, should get another shot.

The Food and Drug Administration could authorize a second booster early this week, according to multiple people familiar with the deliberations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would then follow with its own advice.

A second booster is at best a stopgap measure. Many experts argue that the existing coronavirus vaccines need to be modified because the virus’ variants are diminishing their power. More than a dozen studies are under way to find the next generation of vaccines, with the first results expected in May or June. If all goes well, that would allow enough time to produce new doses before the fall.

Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi / Associated Press Schoolchildren in Zimbabwe display their coronavirus vaccination cards after receiving inoculations Thursday at their school on the outskirts of the capital, Harare.