U.S. could recommend COVID-19 boosters at five months, according to Biden 

Facing the second-largest COVID-19 wave to date, U.S. regulators are mulling providing boosters three months earlier than initially anticipated.

People who are fully vaccinated would be eligible for a booster dose five months after receiving the second dose, Biden said, noting that the plan was still tentative.

On Aug. 18, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said fully vaccinated individuals would be eligible for boosters eight months after administering the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

On Aug. 29, Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Anthony Fauci, noted that administration would stick with the eight-month window, but noted that government officials would be flexible as more data arrive. In an ABC interview, Fauci said the government could adjust the timetable. “If the data tells us differently, we’ll make adjustments accordingly,” he said.

Earlier this week, WSJ reported that the U.S. was likely to approve boosters at six months.

Regarding the latest potential revision, Biden said U.S. officials were considering advice that “we should start earlier.”

FDA is likely to authorize boosters in September.

Distribution could start on Sept. 20, according to media reports.

The Biden administration has dismissed WHO’s request to withhold booster shots to prioritize vaccinating low-income nations, arguing that the U.S. can simultaneously prioritize distributing vaccines domestically and internationally.

To date, approximately 0.3% of vaccine doses have been administered in low-income nations, according to The New York Times.

Israel has already begun administering boosters to high-risk individuals. Scientists there credit the policy with helping beat back the spread of the Delta variant.