Who Is Eligible For COVID-19 Booster Shots? 5 Things To Know

WASHINGTON, DC — Federal health officials took yet another swing at fighting the coronavirus pandemic this week when they endorsed COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for millions of eligible Americans.

Thursday's decision gave the go-ahead to a scaled-back version announced by President Joe Biden last month. Under Biden's plan, booster shots would have been made available to nearly everyone in the United States.

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a panel of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have now formally backed booster shots; however, only a smaller segment of Americans is eligible to receive one.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on the recommendations late Thursday.

Now, many have questions about their eligibility and when they might receive a booster shot. Here's what we know so far:

Who is eligible for COVID-19 booster shots?

Anyone who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago is eligible to get a booster shot. They must also fall into one of these categories:

• People 65 and older, nursing home residents and assisted living residents.
• People ages 50 to 64 with a long list of risky health problems including cancer, diabetes, asthma, HIV infection and heart disease. Being overweight or obese is a category that qualifies roughly 70 percent of people in this age group.

Before signing off on the recommendations, Walensky added additional groups she believed should get a booster dose of the vaccine, according to a report by The Associated Press. These include:

• People ages 18 to 64 who are health care workers or have another job that puts them at increased risk of being exposed to the virus.
• People ages 18 to 49 who have the same chronic health problems as the group originally endorsed by the CDC panel.

"As CDC Director, it is my job to recognize where our actions can have the greatest impact,” Walensky said in a statement. "At CDC, we are tasked with analyzing complex, often imperfect data to make concrete recommendations that optimize health. In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good."

Under these guidelines, more than 20 million people are eligible for a booster vaccine.

Can I only get a booster if I received the Pfizer vaccine?

For now, yes.

While the Moderna vaccine uses technology similar to that of the Pfizer vaccine, regulators have said they don't have enough information to recommend mix-and-match doses. Meanwhile, Moderna has applied for FDA authorization of booster shots, The New York Times reported.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single-dose vaccine. While the company has claimed two doses increase protection against hospitalization and severe illness, according to The Times, it has not applied for authorization of boosters.

Where can I get my booster shot?

The booster shot will likely be available at any public health department, medical clinic or pharmacy. You may have to show your vaccine card before receiving a booster, but whether you qualify is entirely based on the honor system.

If I need a booster, does this mean I'm not fully vaccinated?

No. You are considered fully vaccinated if you received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the J&J.

"The bottom line is if you're fully vaccinated, you're highly protected from severe illness, even if you get COVID-19," President Joe Biden said from the White House on Friday.

Still, a booster dose is recommended by some medical experts because it prolongs protective immunity against the disease, especially if there is evidence the vaccine's protection is waning over time.

A recent CDC study found that vaccine effectiveness in Moderna recipients dropped to 92 percent after 4 months. Meanwhile, Pfizer's effectiveness fell to 77 percent.

Why have booster shots turned into such a debate?

Much of the data surrounding available COVID-19 vaccines in the United States shows that even after six months, two doses of Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or one dose of the J&J vaccine remain highly effective in preventing hospitalization and severe illness.

Knowing this, some public health officials would have preferred the country focus its attention on getting shots to the unvaccinated, the group most in danger of infection, hospitalization and death.

Currently, about 182 million Americans are fully vaccinated — about 55 percent of the population.

“We can give boosters to people, but that’s not really the answer to this pandemic,” Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University told The AP. “Hospitals are full because people are not vaccinated. We are declining care to people who deserve care because we are full of unvaccinated COVID-positive patients."