Moderna is seeking FDA approval for a 4th COVID-19 vaccine shot for those aged 18 and above

Moderna applied to the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize a second booster jab of its COVID-19 vaccine for all adults.

According to a press release from Moderna, the application asks the FDA to provide emergency authorization for a fourth COVID-19 shot for recipients aged 18 and up.

Moderna said its request aims to provide flexibility for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and healthcare providers to determine the appropriate use of an additional booster dose of mRNA-1273, including for those at higher risk of COVID-19 due to age or comorbidities.

Moderna president Stephen Hoge said on Monday that only older adults and those who are immunocompromised are likely to need a fourth vaccine shot.

The CEO of Moderna said in February that he believed the pandemic would end this year, but new boosters specifically targeting the Omicron variant could also be required.

Peter J. Hotez, a vaccine expert at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told The New York Times on Friday that he was a strong advocate of letting people get a second COVID-19 booster shot.

He told The Times that the first booster jab made a huge difference in protecting people from hospitalization and being exposed to the Omicron variant.

He said that protection is waning quickly after your third dose. The hope is that a second booster would restore it.

Pfizer applied for approval for a second booster shot for older Americans.

Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, told CBS that an additional shot on top of the first booster jab is necessary to boost one's immune response.

The vaccine companies are applying for emergency authorization as a new wave of COVID-19 infections is expected to hit the US in the coming weeks.

According to the CDC, 65.3% of the US population have been fully vaccineed. 96.3 million people in the county have received their booster dose.