The United States will begin offering a third booster dose of coronavirus vaccines beginning September 20, as announced Wednesday by senior US health officials.

In a joint statement by leading public health and medical experts, the Joe Biden government confirmed that it is developing plans to begin offering booster shots.

The plan, what only applies to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, foresees that all Americans receive a booster dose eight months after receiving the second injection. Biden administration officials also said they hope a booster vaccine for people who received Johnson & Johnsonbut they are still reviewing the data and will announce plans at a later date.

“The available data make it very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decline over time after initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the prevalence of the Delta variant, we are beginning to see evidence of less protection against mild and moderate disease,” says the statement.

“For that reason, we conclude that a booster injection will be necessary to maximize the protection induced by the vaccine and prolong its durability ”, the note continues, signed by eight health officials, including Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Vivek H. Murthy, general surgeon, and Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The plan to offer booster shots is subject to approval by the Food and Drug Administration., which is expected in the next few weeks.

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