United States health officials announced plans to dispense COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans, as cases of the COVID-19 delta variant surge.
The shots are expected to become available by Sept. 20, at which point those who received a dose of the Moderna or Pfizer shot will get a third round of the vaccine.
Officials suggest that those who were vaccinated with Moderna or Pfizer get the third shot eight months after their last dose of the vaccine.
“I’m totally for it. The second is available to me, I would take it,” says Janet Halpin, of Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
Halpin was vaccinated with the Moderna shot. She moved to Ocean Grove from Manhattan for what she thought would be a temporary move, but her plans changed with the pandemic.
“I’m staying longer than I intended because I don’t think this is over yet,” she says.
But what about those like Debbi Castellano who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine?
“I didn’t expect to have a booster shot once I had this. But I guess if there’s a booster shot, I need to get, then I’ll get it,” she says.
The Johnson & Johnson dose is effective for eight months and does protect against the delta variant. Right now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that further study is needed before another dose of the J&J vaccine is recommended. So for now, people like Castellano will have to wait.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says, "We anticipate vaccine boosters will likely be needed. The J&J vaccine was not administered in the U.S. until March."
Meanwhile, for those planning on next month to get their Moderna or Pfizer shot, the CDC says patients should stick with what they got for the first and second round.
Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration is still needed before booster shots can be administered.