FDA Is Reportedly Considering Whether to Approve a Second Booster Shot for This Fall

You may be able to get a second covid-19 booster shot this fall.

The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that the FDA is looking at data to decide whether to authorize a second booster dose of the messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer and partner BioNTech and from Moderna.

Regulators are considering whether the fourth booster could be the start of an annual covid-19 vaccine. The idea is that people will be more willing to get a yearly covid-19 vaccine if they know they will get a yearly flu shot in the fall. A person familiar with the matter told the outlet that there is no final decision at this point, and if a new variant crops up, it may be necessary to roll out additional booster shots sooner.

Several issues need to be resolved before health regulators can move forward with the process. Authorization would depend on whether the second booster should be authorized for all adults or limited to certain high-risk populations such as the elderly, as well as whether another booster dose should target the Omicron variant or be formulated differently, one of the people familiar with the matter told.

Research needs to show that a fourth dose improves people's immune defenses that have waned in the months following the first booster and reduces their risk of developing health issues from the virus. Researchers are debating whether a fourth dose is necessary to protect against Omicron and any new coronaviruses that may emerge down the line, according to the Journal.