OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.
Dr. Paul Offit, who is a pediatrician, is a renowned expert in vaccines and infectious diseases. He serves as a vaccine adviser to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In a major announcement, Offit says most healthy young Americans do not require the COVID-19 booster shot.
Offit explained, “Specifically, those over 75 years of age, those who have health problems that put them at highest risk of severe disease (such as obesity, chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease, and diabetes, among others) [and] those who are immune-compromised, and those who are pregnant” are the people who need the booster, he advised. (Poll: Is America Better Off Under Biden? VOTE)
He argued that it’s not practical for young, healthy people to receive the booster because they have a very low risk of serious illness.
“I believe we should stop trying to prevent all symptomatic infections in healthy, young people by boosting them with vaccines containing mRNA from strains that might disappear a few months later,” he added.
Offit’s recommendation coincides with the imminent FDA approval of newly refined COVID-19 boosters produced by Pfizer and Moderna, specifically tailored to counteract emerging virus variants.
The Biden administration has already endorsed a “comprehensive nationwide distribution of booster shots.” Biden has also urged Americans to receive the vaccine.
The federal government has introduced a program called Bridge Access to help people without insurance get COVID-19 vaccines and treatments for free.
The manufacturers of the updated COVID-19 booster vaccine, Pfizer and Moderna, have said that the vaccine will cost between $110 and $130 per dose.
Only 17% of eligible adults in the United States got the bivalent booster shot. This was particularly low among people over 65, who could have benefited the most from the shot.
The Biden administration announced Project NextGen, a plan to invest $1.4 billion in COVID-19 drugs and vaccines.
The federal government is taking steps to make COVID-19 vaccines and treatments more accessible to people without insurance. The updated booster vaccine is effective against the current strains of the virus, but uptake has been low.