According to the CDC, an initial booster shot from Moderna should be expected to protect individuals through the winter, but by next fall its efficiency could waver, making a fourth shot of the vaccine necessary, APA reports.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has signed off on a recommendation from the FDA that those who received the Moderna vaccine are now eligible to get a booster 5 months after their second shot rather than 6.
This new adjustment for the Moderna booster is for those aged 18 and older.
“The country is in the middle of a wave of the highly contagious Omicron variant, which spreads more rapidly than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and other variants that have emerged.” Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research said.
“Vaccination is our best defense against COVID-19, including the circulating variants, and shortening the length of time between completion of a primary series and a booster dose may help reduce waning immunity,” he continued. “We encourage everyone to get vaccinated—it’s never too late to get your COVID-19 vaccine or booster.”
Commonly reported side-effects from those who received a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine include pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, as well as fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain and chills.
Source: Azeri-Press News Agency