CDC announces plans for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots starting Sept 20

"Our approach on booster shots is simple, and it's consistent with every other front in this war," Jeff Zeints said on Wednesday. "Be guided by the science, and always always stay one step ahead of this virus."

"The time to lay out a plan for Covid-19 boosters is now," Surgeon General Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy said.

Murthy noted that there has been "waning immunity," and that the new, Delta variant of the coronavirus is stronger than previous versions of the virus.

These boosters will be available to Americans over 18 who have been fully vaccinated for 8 months. The plan will go forward the week of Sept. 20, 2021, and is pending FDA guidance.

"The plan ensures that people who were fully vaccinated" earliest in the vaccine rollout get the chance to get boosters and beef up their immunity. Those who had the single-shot, Johnson&Johnson vaccine, will also likely need a booster, Murthy said.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said that "vaccine effectiveness is generally decreased against the Delta variant." She cited a study from New York that linked COVID-19 tests to vaccination status, showing that "vaccine effectiveness declined to 80 percent." An additional study from the Mayo Clinic corroborated these results, for Pfizer from 76 percent to 42 percent, and for Moderna, 86 percent to 76 percent.

In response to this announcement, reporters wanted to know how the CDC could justify distributing third doses of vaccine in the US when there are plenty of people globally who haven't even had one shot yet.

Jeff Zeints basically said the US supply and ability to generate supply was not only ample but growing. He emphasized that the distribution of boosters in the US would not result in a depletion of the availability of American-funded vaccines globally.