WASHINGTON DC – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this Tuesday approved a second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna for some adults and people with weak immune systems.
People 50 and older can get the second booster of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least four months after receiving the first booster.
In turn, people 12 years and older with weak immune systems can also take the second Pfizer booster at least four months after receiving the first one. While the same is true for Moderna’s second booster, only its second booster is available to people 18 and older with immunocompromises, the FDA explained in a statement.
Among people with weak immune systems are those who have received an organ transplant.
The move comes amid early signs that the United States may soon experience another wave of COVID-19 as the Omicron sub-variant known as BA.2 spreads across Europe and other parts of the world.
Other countries, including the UK, Chile, Israel and Sweden, already allow a fourth vaccine for certain vulnerable populations.
Moderna asked the FDA in early March to authorize a fourth COVID-19 vaccine for all adults, following Pfizer’s request for a second booster for people 65 and older.
Both companies said that the protection of the initial booster disappears after a few months.
