Biden to Discuss COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to talk Wednesday about giving another dose of COVID-19 vaccines to those already vaccinated in order to boost protections that can decrease over time. 

Biden’s remarks will come after he meets with members of his administration’s COVID-19 Response Team. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday stopped short of confirming media reports that the United States would recommend those already vaccinated to get a so-called booster shot eight months after their last dose. 

But she told reporters the government has planned for months to ensure there would be enough supply of vaccines if the Food and Drug Administration recommended a booster shot program. She also stressed that giving additional shots in the United States would not mean choosing between deploying those doses at home or helping to address the many areas of the world were few people have had access to a COVID-19 vaccine. 

“We can do both. And the United States is, far and away, the biggest contributor to the global supply,” Psaki said. 

The World Health Organization recently called for a worldwide moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots until at least the end of September, to allow low-income nations to get more initial vaccination doses. 

The U.S. booster shot program would likely start in September, with those who were first eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine first in line again. That group includes frontline health care workers, nursing home residents and other elderly people. 

Most people in the United States who have received a COVID-19 vaccine got a two-shot regimen made by Pfizer or Moderna, while others were given the one-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.