The Food and Drug Administration made a major announcement Thursday when it comes to COVID-19 booster shots.
The agency recommended booster shots for Americans with compromised immune systems and those who may be undergoing cancer treatment or similar procedures.
[TRENDING: Doctor in critical care for COVID | Hospitals run low on nurses | How, when to watch meteor shower]
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said the boosters would be recommended for people who are immunocompromised, but health officials are also looking into when other Americans may be eligible.
“The broader question of whether the population at large needs boosters or, more accurately, a third dose in the vaccine series is something we’ve been looking at very closely,” he said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci also said data is being collected for other vaccinated groups, such as the elderly, to determine if or when their protection goes “below a critical level,” adding “that’s when you’re going to be hearing about the implementation of boosters” for others. Fauci said, “Inevitably, there will be a time when we’ll have to get boosts” because “no vaccine, at least not within this category, is going to have an indefinite amount of protection.”
Murthy also mentioned that vaccines for children under 12 could be coming soon. Pfizer is the only vaccine with emergency use approval for children older than 12.
“If everything were to go well and everything were to fall into place, I think it’s possible that we could see a vaccine before the end of the calendar year for kids under 12,” he said.
Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris told News 6 the county is getting ready to offer booster shots once they get approval.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine committee is set to meet Friday after the FDA weighs in.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.