On March 29th, the FDA and CDC approved the fourth COVID-19 vaccine, the second booster, to those over the age of 50 or immunocompromised. The FDA approved both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccine. All recipients of the vaccine must get the booster four months after they got the original booster. 

   Because this booster is new, there still isn’t a ton of information out about the results and effectiveness of it. However, it is highly recommended by both the CDC and FDA. According to the Washington Post, the CDC pushes for anyone 50 years or older to get the booster. The vaccine can help prevent COVID-19 from causing other severe diseases. Despite the CDC and FDA’s support, there has been some controversy over what age the booster should be offered to. Although originally organizations wanted to offer it to ages between 60 and 65, they lowered the age to 50 because similar health risks are common at that age. 

Despite the support from several associations, people are still confused on whether they should get the vaccine or not. Many with underlying health conditions have decided to get the booster as soon as possible. Others wanted to wait until the dose seemed more needed. Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, put out a report detailing who should receive the vaccine and who can wait. He recommends that anyone over the age of 65 should get it immediately. However, he understands that the protection the vaccine offers can diminish over time. Because the future of COVID-19 is unclear, people under 65 without any other health issues might benefit from waiting before getting the booster. 

After the recommendation from the FDA and CDC, Biden asked Congress to approve a plan to provide 22.5 billion dollars of funding to help supply vaccines and other protection against the virus. Biden is happy with the progress the country has made against the pandemic but wants more funding to continue pursuing the fight against it. If Congress doesn’t pass the funding, the 4th vaccine might not be fully available to the public for free. Congress aside, Biden highly encourages the vaccine and received it the first day it became available. 

There is still a lot to be researched about the booster and the effectiveness of it. However, with the information out now, the FDA and CDC have concluded that it is safe for the public.