FDA authorises COVID booster shots – but for who?

Getting a third shot in the arm of a COVID dose is soon going to be possible

The US Food and Drug Administration has authorised a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for people with weakened immune systems.

The agency said organ transplant recipients and people who are similarly immunocompromised can receive a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

The FDA also emphasised that other fully vaccinated people are “adequately protected” and currently do not need an extra dose.

The U.S. health regulator amended the emergency use authorisations for the vaccines to allow an additional dose in certain individuals, specifically for recipients of solid organ transplant or those diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.

Reports of infections among vaccinated people and concerns about diminishing protection have galvanised wealthy nations to distribute booster shots.

The World Health Organization last week called for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots until at least the end of September.