FDA Recommends 2nd COVID-19 Booster For Millions Of Americans

Millions of Americans now qualify for a second COVID-19 booster shot.

This comes as a new variant is causing a spike in cases in Europe and Asia.

Health experts here in the U.S. worry the new variant could potentially cause a spike here.

The FDA is recommending people over 50 and those with a compromised immune system receive a fourth vaccine shot.

The approval applies to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

More than 34 million Americans are eligible to receive another booster shot.

The second booster is recommended at least four months after you got the first one.

The recommendation comes as the Omicron sub-variant has become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S., making up 55 percent of new cases.

Some doctors think the timing of the fourth dose may not be ideal.

"We have very low rates of community transmission in most places in the U.S. so, there's not a lot of risk of getting exposed right now," says Dr. John Wherry with the University of Pennsylvania. "We may want that booster to be timed next time we see the beginning of a wave coming and there will be another wave."

Next week, The FDA will consider whether the general population should become eligible for a second booster.