Vaccine experts: COVID-19 booster shots aren’t needed now

COVID-19 vaccine booster doses are not necessary right now based on the current evidence, international public health experts — including two FDA vaccine leaders who are leaving the agency this year

Why it matters: The paper is a rebuke of the Biden administration’s push to open up booster shots for everyone.

What they’re saying: “Even if boosting were eventually shown to decrease the medium-term risk of serious disease, current vaccine supplies could save more lives if used in previously unvaccinated populations than if used as boosters in vaccinated populations,” the scientists wrote.

They did say booster doses could be appropriate for immunocompromised people, and indeed that population can get a third dose of an Moderna vaccine.

The bottom line: Medical ethicists and scientists have not supported widespread booster shots, as the vaccines are still extremely effective in preventing severe COVID-19 and death, and considering a majority of the world still hasn’t gotten one shot.