Seniors in long-term care facilities could soon be in line for second COVID-19 booster shots if a recommendation from the Biden administration gains full approval.
U.S. health officials are planning to give older adults, aged 50 and up, the option of getting a second COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, according to a report by the New York Times.
People familiar with deliberations predicted that the Food and Drug Administration could authorize a second booster this week and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would quickly follow suit, the report said.
Only one booster is currently recommended for people aged 12 years or older. Protection from current COVID-19 vaccines does not appear to be long-lasting in the age of omicron. Efficacy levels against the variant nosedive after approximately four months, according to various studies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Several health experts have said that younger adults should be fine with one booster but older adults should start getting their fourth shot now, ahead of another potential surge.
“We have a large number of people who are at least four to six months past their third shot,” Eric Topol, M.D., founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told NPR Sunday.
“Without protection against the omicron variant, particularly now [that] we’re confronting BA.2, there’s a very high risk of hospitalization and death,” he added.
Kaiser Family Foundation data shows that 80% of adults between 50 and 64 years old have reported getting a booster shot, while 87% of those 65 and older have received the additional dose. A new KFF analysis, however, has also found that the federal government does not have enough vaccine doses remaining in its current supply to fully cover the U.S. population with a fourth dose.
In nursing homes, 75.5% of nursing home residents have received their booster shot. More than 33 million seniors 65 and older have received a first booster and would be eligible for a second, according to the Times.
