The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Boosters approved for all adults
U.S. regulators gave the OK to open up COVID-19 booster shots to all adults Friday.
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision stands to simplify what has been a confusing list of who’s eligible by allowing anyone 18 or older to choose either a Pfizer or Moderna booster six months after their last dose — regardless of which vaccine they had first. The move came after about a dozen states had started offering boosters to all adults.
Later Friday, advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed anyone 18 and older can choose a booster of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine but went an extra step and stressed that people 50 and older should get one.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on the recommendation quickly, a final step to make the booster doses available to all adults.
The CDC also put out a plea for those who had previously qualified but hadn’t yet signed up for a booster to quit putting it off — saying older Americans and people with risks such as obesity, diabetes or other health problems should try to get one before the holidays.
Anyone who got the onedose Johnson & Johnson vaccine could already get a booster. And the CDC recommends those adults who received the J&J vaccine should receive a booster shot at least 2 months after receiving the one
dose vaccine.
All three COVID-19 vaccines used in the U.S. offer strong protection against severe illness including hospitalization and death without boosters, but protection against infection can wane with time.
The CDC reports that nationwide 31.4 million people have received booster shots, representing 17% of all adults who are fully vaccinated.
In Georgia, according to the state Department of Public
Health, 690,227 Georgians have received a booster dose since they were authorized for some people Aug. 13. That means 13.3% of fully vaccinated Georgians have had a booster shot.