HHS issues joint statement on COVID-19 booster shots

On Wednesday, public health and medical experts from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the administration had created a plan to begin offering COVID-19 booster shots in September. Although the vaccines administered in the United States continue to be “remarkably effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death,” the announcement said, “The available data make very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time…[and] we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease.” Protection against more severe disease could wane in the months ahead, the statement said, prompting the decision to offer booster shots. (HHS news release, 8/18/21)