COVID-19 booster shots will be given on an eight-month timeline, Dr. Anthony Fauci announced Sunday, despite a suggestion by President Joe Biden that the shots be given as early as five months after a person is fully vaccinated.
“We’re not changing it, but we are very open to new data as it comes in. We’re going to be very flexible about it,” Fauci said on “Meet the Press.”
Biden had said Friday that the administration was considering whether the booster shots should be given earlier than what had been recommended — waiting eight months after being fully vaccinated to get the third shot.
Biden cited the highly contagious delta variant and advice from the Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for suggesting the shots be given earlier.
“We’re considering the advice you’ve given that we should start earlier,” Biden said from the White House. “Should it be as little as five months, and that’s being discussed.”
The shots must first be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The committee advises the Centers for Disease Control. If they are approved, the booster shot rollout will start on the week of September 20.
“That’s the plan that we have, but we are open to data as they come in,” he added.
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