The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has cut the recommended time between receival of the second shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine and a booster shot to five months, down from six.
The agency made a similar decision earlier this month for the Modena shot as well, as officials make a larger push to get Americans booster in the wake of the Omicron variant-fueled surge striking the nation.
Omicron, which was first discovered by South African officials in late-November, has demonstrated the ability to evade protection against infection provided by the Covid vaccines, but studies have found that the additional booster doses can re-establish some of that protection.
Health officials are now putting resources behind a stronger push for these additional jabs, including expanding the age eligibility for them and reducing the wait time between shots.
Americans who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine jab are now recommended to receive their booster shot five months after the second dose, down from the previous recommendation of six months (file photo)
The Pfizer vaccine (yellow) is not only the most commonly used Covid vaccine in America, but also the most used booster shot in America so far
The Pfizer shot is the most commonly used jab in the United States, and both its initial two-dose vaccine and its booster dose have the widest range of age eligibility.
It has been administered 306 million times to fully vaccinate 118 million people - more than any of the three available shots in the U.S.
It has also been used for more than half of booster doses administered in the U.S., being used for 39.4 million out of 78.1 million Americans who have received the additional shot.
The CDC decision puts the Pfizer vaccine on par with the Moderna shot. People who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson jab for their original vaccination only have to wait two months before receiving their next shot, according to CDC guidelines.
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