To Booster or Not: Scientists and Regulators Debate

President Biden’s planned rollout of additional COVID-19 vaccine doses is set to begin next week, but questions remain about who should get them.

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Update (March 8): The World Health Organization (WHO) today endorsed the widespread use of COVID-19 vaccine boosters, emphasizing that vaccination is particularly important for high-risk groups.

Update (December 9): The WHO today recommended that immunocompromised people and those who received an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine such as those made by Sinovac Biotech, Sinopharm, and Bharat Biotech should receive a booster, Reuters reports.

Update (November 19): Earlier today, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized COVID-19 booster shots from both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for everyone 18 years and older, multiple media outlets report. This afternoon, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel voted unanimously to open up booster eligibility to all adults, and to recommend that people aged 50 years and older get a booster, according to CNBC.

Update (October 15): An FDA advisory panel voted unanimously to support the use of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots from ...

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Meet the Author

  • Jef Akst

    Jef Akst was managing editor of The Scientist, where she started as an intern in 2009 after receiving a master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses.
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