The United States government announced on Wednesday, August 18, that it will administer a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as a "booster" to all its citizens starting September 20, eight months after completing the vaccination schedule with Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna (there is still no decision regarding those immunized with the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine). A similar measure had already been adopted by countries such as Uruguay, Chile, Israel, France, and Germany for their most vulnerable populations, arguing that protection declines over time. According to Pfizer, a third dose increases the neutralizing capacity against the delta variant by 100 times.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) opposed the measure, fearing it would exacerbate vaccine shortages worldwide and potentially lead to the emergence of new variants. "We clearly believe the data do not indicate a need for booster shots," said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, a senior scientist at the WHO. "We're going to give life jackets to those who already have them while leaving others to drown without a single one," lamented the organization's emergencies director, Dr. Mark Ryan.