Biden Administration May Offer 2nd COVID Booster Shots to All Adults Due to the Contagious BA.5 Subvariant

The Biden administration is considering allowing all adults to get a second COVID booster shot, according to a person who knows the plan. The planned directive stems from concerns from White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top administration officials about the current rise in hospitalizations brought upon by the highly contagious Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

White House COVID coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha did not confirm that the Biden administration would adopt such a plan during a press briefing on Tuesday, July 12, but he did say that federal health officials have been discussing the possibility of offering boosters for all adults in the United States for a while now.

Jha said they have conversations about what possible things they can do to protect the American people better. He added that ultimately, such decisions are up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NBC News reported.

Hospitalizations due to COVID spike again in the U.S.

Hospitalizations due to COVID have been rising modestly across the United States, with the subvariants continuing to make up a greater proportion of new cases. According to the CDC, the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, considered the most contagious forms of the coronavirus to date, made up more than 80 percent of all new COVID cases in the U.S. for the week ending July 9.

The Washington Post was the first to report that the Biden administration is considering a second booster for American adults. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the planned booster shots. The source said the plan was not finalized yet and could still change. As Jha also noted in the briefing, any changes would still need the CDC and the FDA to sign off.

Federal health regulators signed off on a second COVID booster for people ages 50 and older and immunocompromised individuals in late March amid a rise in cases caused by an earlier Omicron subvariant, BA.2.

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Jha urges Americans to get COVID booster shot

According to data from the CDC, only about 30 percent of people eligible for a second booster have received the COVID shot. Experts at that time theorized that health officials might have difficulty persuading people in the U.S. to get a second booster because COVID cases and hospitalizations were already low.

For those Americans currently eligible for a booster, Jha said getting one now would not preclude a person from getting another COVID shot that may target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants this coming fall or winter. Jha said that his message is simple for people 50 or older who have not gotten a vaccine shot this year, and that is to get one now.

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