Biden administration planning expansion of booster shot authorization to all adults

The Biden administration is planning to expand the Covid-19 booster shot authorization to all adults, possibly as early as next week. 

This is expected to happen because “America's booster campaign got off to an underwhelming start, potentially leaving millions of vulnerable people at risk as the holidays approach,” according to Axios. 

The case the administration is making is that the pandemic isn’t over yet and the booster shots will restore protection to people who received the full vaccine, yet lost some of that protection because the effectiveness of the vaccine has lessened over time and because the Delta variant came along.

According to the CDC, only 36% of Americans 65 and older have received a booster shot, which may explain why the Biden administration is in the process of expanding access to the booster for all adult Americans. 

The Axios article acknowledges that there is disagreement among experts concerning who needs the booster, but quotes Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the NIAID as saying, "As every month goes by, the immunity wanes more and more. So as time goes by, you’re going to see more vaccinated people" becoming more vulnerable to the virus. 

There is a link in the article to a tweet by another doctor, Walid Gellad MD MPH, with a different point of view: “I am actually troubled with how some politicians and officials are advising boosters, including moderna, to everyone including 18 year old low risk men despite FDA, CDC, and Paul Offit not agreeing with that. How is this okay?”

While the Biden administration continues to attempt to mandate vaccines through the back door of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there is much pushback from both science and the courts.