U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the White House Oval Office in Washington, DC, on August 27, 2021.
Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden said U.S. regulators are considering administering Covid-19 booster shots five months after people finish their primary vaccines, raising the timeline for a third shot about three months.
Biden, who spoke on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, said health officials were considering following the country’s progress in relation to the boosters.
“We’re considering the advice you gave that we should start earlier,” Biden said, adding that officials are debating whether the timeline should be shorter. “If only five months had passed, and that’s being discussed.”
Approval of reinforcement shots is expected to arrive around Labor Day after federal health officials have time to review data from other countries.
The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins said last week that data released by Israel on the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines over time prompted U.S. health leaders to rethink their position on booster vaccines. . Israel released new data on August 16 that showed a reduction in the effectiveness of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine against serious illnesses among people 65 and older who were fully vaccinated in January or February.
Israel released more data on Sunday showing that a booster dose provided four times more protection against delta variant infection than the previous two-dose regimen in people 60 and older, Reuters reported, citing data from the ministry. of Health of Israel. The booster dose also provided five to six times more effectiveness in preventing hospitalization or serious illness.
Approximately 1.5 million residents in Israel have received a booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Later, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki clarified Biden’s comments, saying she would rely on CDC and FDA officials to make any changes to the official U.S. health guide, which should currently be given doses of reinforcement after eight months.
“So I want to be very clear. If they changed their orientation based on the data of any particular group, he would of course comply,” Psaki said at a news conference on Friday. “But for the people watching at home, for all of you who report this, nothing has changed about the eight-month timeline in relation to the drivers.”
Other countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Hungary and Germany, have already begun administering reinforcements to their population, are close to it or are considering it.
Pfizer said Wednesday that a booster dose of its vaccine provides a triple increase in neutralizing antibodies in an unprecedented study as the company rushes to get FDA approval for its booster doses, according to Reuters.
The study also found that the side effects of a third dose are the same as those experienced after a second dose. Common side effects include headache, lethargy, mild pain at the injection site and fever.
The distribution of reinforcement shots is expected to begin on September 20, pending final completion by authorization from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Biden administration and vaccine manufacturers have indicated that there should be enough doses for any fully vaccinated adult seeking a third dose.
Correction: This article was updated to correct when a potential third dose of Covid could be administered. Five months pass after the complete vaccination.