Updated Aug. 18, 2021 at 2:09 p.m. to include information from a university spokesperson.
The Centers for Disease Control is recommending Americans who received the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines get a booster vaccine dose eight months after receiving their second doses, starting Sept. 20. First in line for the booster vaccine shots will be older adults, health care workers and immunocompromised individuals who have been fully vaccinated for eight months, according to the CDC.
“Our top priority remains staying ahead of the virus and protecting the American people from COVID-19 with safe, effective and long-lasting vaccines especially in the context of a constantly changing virus and epidemiologic landscape,” the CDC said in a joint statement on Aug. 18.
According to the CDC, no guidance has been outlined yet regarding Americans receiving doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The university previously held a vaccination clinic for students to receive doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the spring.
A university spokesperson said details regarding boosters shots will be shared with the campus community once they are finalized. All students are required to be vaccinated for the fall semester, however faculty and staff are not required to be vaccinated.
"The university is reviewing the most recent recommendations and anticipates following the same protocols we did with the original vaccination process, working with local and state health officials to facilitate access to booster shots for students, faculty and staff at the appropriate time, either on campus or via local health care providers, pharmacies or large vaccination clinic settings," the spokesperson said.
The CDC recommendation comes following the World Health Organization’s call for a moratorium on all booster shots. In a media briefing on Aug. 4, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, asked wealthier countries to hold off on administering boosters until the end of September, so that at least 10% of the population in every country receive their first two doses.
“While hundreds of millions of people are still waiting for their first dose, some rich countries are moving towards booster doses,” Tedros said in the briefing. “We cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it.”
Before Americans can begin to receive boosters, the Food and Drug Administration must first authorize a third dose of the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. An advisory committee of the CDC also must review the evidence and make recommendations.