Updated Jan 7, 2022 - Health

CDC backs moving Moderna booster wait time to 5 months after vaccine

Oriana González

Picture of a hand wearing a surgical glove holding a Moderna vaccine vial — Photo: Martin Galindo/Long Visual Press/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has signed off on a Food and Drug Administration recommendation that those who received the Moderna vaccine get a booster five months after their second shot instead of six, a CDC spokesperson said Friday.

Driving the news: The move comes just days after the FDA and the CDC made a similar recommendation for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine recipients.

What they're saying: "Vaccination is our best defense against COVID-19, including the circulating variants, and shortening the length of time between completion of a primary series and a booster dose may help reduce waning immunity," said Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

"Today’s action also brings consistency in the timing for administration of a booster dose among the available mRNA vaccines. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated — it’s never too late to get your COVID-19 vaccine or booster."

Go deeper: Omicron fuels the case for COVID boosters

Editor's note: This story has been updated after the CDC signed off on the FDA's recommendation.

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CDC backs moving Moderna booster wait time to 5 months after vaccine

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