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News Articles: COVID boosters

Shana Alesi administers a COVID-19 booster vaccine to Marine Corps veteran Bill Fatz at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Ill., in 2021. A new round of boosters could become available for some people this spring.

The FDA may soon authorize a spring round of COVID-19 boosters for some people

The Food and Drug Administration appears poised to make available the COVID-19 vaccines that target omicron as a second booster for people with weak immune systems and those ages 65 and older.

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By:
  • Rob Stein
The new COVID boosters rolling out this month represent a shift in strategy, said White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha during a press briefing. The goal now will likely be to roll out new boosters annually.

The new COVID booster could be the last you'll need for a year, federal officials say

The COVID-19 vaccine strategy may be shifting toward Americans getting yearly vaccinations, like many do with annual flu shots.

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By:
  • Rob Stein and
  • Jane Greenhalgh
Gearing up for fall, health officials are recommending a new round of booster shots.

Omicron boosters: Do I need one, and if so, when?

Updated COVID boosters are now available for anyone age 12 or older. The CDC is urging anyone who is eligible to sign up but some vaccine experts say some people might want to wait.

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By:
  • Allison Aubrey
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, attends a Senate hearing in Washington last July. She spoke to NPR shortly after the CDC recommended updated booster shots.

There's no bad time to get a new COVID booster if you're eligible, CDC director says

People can get the Moderna booster if they're 18 or older, and the Pfizer-BioNTech version if they're 12 and up. In both cases, they must wait at least two months since their last COVID vaccine.

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By:
  • Rachel Treisman
Vials of the newly reformulated COVID-19 vaccine booster are being readied by Pfizer for distribution now that the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the shots for people 12 and older.

FDA authorizes first revamp of COVID vaccines to target omicron

The new shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants that most people are catching now.

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By:
  • Scott Hensley and
  • Rob Stein
The FDA has authorized second booster shots for people over 50 and for some people who are immunocompromised.

Do I really need another booster? The answer depends on age, risk and timing

Health officials argue the protection of the COVID vaccine booster wanes over time and say some people need a second booster. But other infectious disease experts say three shots are enough for now.

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By:
  • Maria Godoy,
  • Allison Aubrey,
  • and 1 more