While medical officials debate whether a second COVID-19 booster shot is necessary, Biden administration officials are warning that the government doesn’t have the money to pay for those doses, as it did the first vaccination rounds.
White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients, in an upcoming podcast, said: “Right now, we don’t have enough money for fourth doses, if they’re called for. We don’t have the funding, if we were to need a variant-specific vaccine in the future.” The quote was reported by The Washington Post.
Pfizer and Moderna have both filed for emergency authorization for a second COVID-19 booster shot for people 65 and older – this would mean a third or fourth round of jabs, depending on the vaccines you’ve had previously.
A decision on those applications could come as early as next month.
But while there’s adequate funding for seniors, as well as children under age 5 (should those vaccinations receive approval), there’s not enough money to pay for other age groups, if the second booster is suggested for a wider set of people.
Officials say they can’t place any more orders until Congress passes a stalled $15 billion funding bill.
A study by Israel’s health ministry in January found that a fourth COVID shot had twice the protection from infection as the others, and at least three times the protection from severe illness.
Israel began administering a fourth dose to older adults, health workers and people with compromised immune systems in late December.
Health officials say the government would need to purchase about 750 million doses to be able to provide a fourth dose to everyone.
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