Nov 15, 2021 - Politics & Policy

NYC to allow all adults to get a COVID booster shot

Noah Garfinkel

A person in New York getting the booster vaccine — A nurse receives her Pfizer booster shot in New York. Photo: Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images

New York City is telling health providers not to turn away anyone over 18 years old who wants a COVID-19 booster shot, city health commissioner Dave Chokshi announced Monday.

Details: Adults will be allowed the booster shot six months after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, per Chokshi's announcement.

What they're saying: "Clinicians should allow adult patients to determine their own risk of exposure, based on their individual circumstances," Chokshi said at a briefing Monday.

"In practice, this means that providers should not turn a patient away if they request a booster, so long as they are 18 and older and it has been at least six months since a Moderna or Pfizer dose or at least two months since a Johnson & Johnson dose," Chokshi said at a briefing on Monday.

Driving the news: Pfizer and BioNTech last week asked the Food and Drug Administration to expand authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to include all adults.

Federal regulators currently allow boosters only for adults 65 and older, those with pre-existing conditions and those who live or work in high risk facilities.

The big picture: New York City will join California, Colorado and New Mexico in allowing booster shots for all adults.

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NYC to allow all adults to get a COVID booster shot

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