Biden's Booster Shot Plans Hit Roadblock as Third Dose Delays Loom

Strategic Insights -

The administration's ambitious plan to start booster shots for most Americans by September 20 faces a significant hurdle, with Moderna's vaccine facing potential delays due to inadequate data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are awaiting critical data before signing off on the third doses, with Moderna's vaccine increasingly seen as unlikely to meet the September 20 milestone.

Key Takeaways:

  • The FDA has requested additional data from Moderna, which is likely to delay the availability of its third dose into October.
  • Pfizer's vaccine, on the other hand, is still expected to be approved for a third dose for all by September 20, pending a review by a key FDA panel on September 17.
  • Most of the 206 million Americans at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 received the Pfizer shot, but about 80 million received the Moderna vaccine, according to CDC data.
  • The White House's public pronouncement about booster availability sparked concerns from some that the administration was getting ahead of the science on boosters.
  • The administration's plan to start booster shots by September 20 is now uncertain due to the delays in Moderna's vaccine data.
  • Third doses only for the Pfizer vaccine may be ready by September 20, as the FDA has been reviewing its data more quickly due to data collected from the vaccine's use in Israel.
  • Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine data won't be available for months, since that shot wasn't approved until February.

Statistics:

  • 206 million Americans are at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19.
  • 80 million Americans received the Moderna vaccine.
  • The FDA is awaiting critical data from Moderna before signing off on the third doses of its vaccine.
  • Pfizer's vaccine is still expected to be approved for a third dose for all by September 20, pending a review by a key FDA panel on September 17.
  • 80% of Americans who received the COVID-19 vaccine received the Pfizer shot.
  • The White House's public pronouncement about booster availability sparked concerns from some that the administration was getting ahead of the science on boosters.

Sources:

  • ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press
  • "Third doses of Moderna vaccine may not be ready by Sept. 20"