People in the U.S. who received Moderna’s or Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible for a booster dose in September

MARKET WATCH Federal health officials said Wednesday that a third dose of the COVID-19 shots developed by Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. will be available in mid-September for Americans who have been fully vaccinated for at least eight months.

They cited waning protection as the reason for a booster shot.

“The available data makes very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease,” the officials said in a statement.

The new plan to administer COVID-19 boosters to Americans is subject to evaluation from the Food and Drug Administration and a recommendation from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee.

It does not apply to people who got the Johnson & Johnson JNJ, +0.84% vaccine, only those who received the vaccines developed by Moderna MRNA, -2.72% and Pfizer PFE, +1.16%.

Officials said individuals who got J&J’s single-dose vaccine will likely need boosters, but they are waiting for data from the company in the coming weeks and then will set out a plan.

For the people who received the mRNA vaccines, boosters will begin to be available on Sept. 20. The first people to qualify for a third dose will include “many health care providers, nursing home residents, and other seniors,” then “residents of long-term care facilities.”

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