More Americans Receiving COVID-19 Booster Shots Than Vaccinations: CDC Data

A healthcare worker administers a shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to a woman at a pop-up vaccination site operated by SOMOS Community Care during the pandemic in Manhattan in New York City, on Jan. 29, 2021. Mike Segar/Reuters

More Americans are now receiving a booster shot to protect against COVID-19 than are getting their first vaccination shot, according to the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The most recent week’s data that ended Tuesday shows approximately 340,000 people receiving a booster shot daily. In contrast, just more than 157,000 received their first vaccination shot last week.

The shift has taken place as a higher number of Americans have now been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. More than 189 million Americans have now been vaccinated.

The number of those who have received a booster shot represents 66.2 percent of those fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among those 18 years of age or older, 79.2 percent of those who are fully vaccinated have received a booster shot.

The number of Americans who received booster shots is expected to continue to grow. Thursday, the CDC added Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s booster shots to its approved list, along with Pfizer.

In addition, the statement approved new groups of people eligible to receive the booster shot. The new categories include those 65 years or older, as well as people 18 years old and above in long-term care settings, with underlying medical conditions, or who work or live in high-risk settings.

Those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines are eligible for a booster shot six months or later following being fully vaccinated.

Eligible individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are recommended to take the booster shot two months or after the time of full vaccination.

“These recommendations are another example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19,” CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky said in the statement.

The statement also mentioned that 65 million Americans have not yet been vaccinated for COVID-19.

The CDC sent guidance this week regarding upcoming plans to vaccinate children ages 5–11 for COVID-19.

A panel for the Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to meet on Oct. 26 to discuss the potential of authorizing emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the younger age group.

Children are at low risk of contracting severe cases of COVID-19—many cases are believed to be asymptomatic—and are at an elevated risk of suffering heart inflammation from COVID-19 vaccines, especially the ones built on messenger RNA technology, such as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.