The FDA said on Friday that people who received the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine series now only need to wait five months before getting a booster dose.
A nurse shows the vaccine to people who are public transport drivers. The photo was taken by Martin Galindo of the Long Visual Press/Universal Images Group.
The Long Visual Press/Universal Images Group is part of the same group.
The FDA said shortening the time between Moderna doses will boost waning immunity and provide better protection against the omicron variant.
The FDA adjusted the period for Pfizer vaccines earlier this week, and the timing update brought consistency to the timing for administration of a booster dose.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that about 35% of people in the US have received a booster dose.
The US is facing a lot of cases as the omicron variant spreads. The country reported a record 1.08 million cases on Monday, and is currently reporting a seven-day average of 610,989 daily new cases. Omicron was responsible for most of the new cases in the country during the week of December 26 - January 1. Experts warn against dismissing omicron as mild, as the number of cases in the U.S. could be enough to overwhelm hospital systems.
The number is big.
The Department of Human and Health Services says 131,972 patients were hospitalized for Covid-19 as of Thursday, up from 103,329 on Monday.
The number of children admitted to the hospital in the U.S. for Covid-19 is on the rise. According to the CDC, the number of children admitted to the hospital increased by 114% from the previous week.
There were a record 1 million new covid-19 cases reported in the US on Monday.
The Omicron variant is linked to almost all of the US covid cases.
Pfizer Booster Shot For Children Ages 12 To 15 is approved by the FDA.
