Adults nationwide eligible for boosters this weekend as CDC gives sign-off

Enlarge / The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters stands in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday, March 14, 2020. (credit: Getty | Bloomberg)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now signed off on offering booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to all adults, allowing expanded boosting to begin nationwide this weekend.

"Based on the compelling evidence, all adults over 18 should now have equitable access to a COVID-19 booster dose," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement this evening.

Earlier today, the Food and Drug Administration authorized use of the boosters in all adults, and a committee of independent advisers for the CDC voted unanimously in favor of recommending boosters for all adults. Specifically, the committee voted unanimously (11-0) that people age 50 and over should get a booster six months after their second dose and that people age 18 and over may get a booster after their second dose. The committee came to the unanimous decisions after reviewing extensive safety data and clinical data showing that the third shots significantly elevated antibody levels.

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