Pfizer asked US regulators to allow boosters of its COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older Tuesday.
Older Americans and other groups especially vulnerable to the virus have had access to a third dose of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine since September, but the Food and Drug Administration has said it would move quickly to expand boosters to younger ages if needed.
Pfizer is submitting early results of a booster study in 10,000 people to show evidence that it’s time to expand the booster campaign.
While all three vaccines used in the US continue to offer strong protection against severe disease or death, the shots’ effectiveness against milder infection can wane over time.
The new study by Pfizer concluded that a booster could restore protection against symptomatic infection to about 95%, even as the extra-contagious delta variant was surging. Side effects were minor and rare similar to the company’s first two shots.