March 18, 2022 – According to The Washington Post, Moderna has asked the FDA to allow adults 18 years and older to receive second booster dose of the mRNA COVID vaccine. This is due to the concerns that the immune protection and efficacy of the vaccines wane over time.
Moderna’s request follows one by Pfizer earlier this week for FDA authorization of a fourth dose—or second booster dose—for people 65 years and older.
Moderna said it requested a fourth dose for all adults 18 and older to provide flexibility for health officials and healthcare providers to determine the best use of an additional booster shot. Anthony Fauci recently said in an interview that “U.S. data so far shows that protection against severe illness remains robust four to five months after a booster, falling somewhat from 91% effectiveness in preventing severe illness to 78%.”
Moderna said in a statement that it requested the second booster shot be authorized for all adults to give the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and doctors more flexibility in deciding which patients might be good candidates for an additional dose of the vaccine.