CDC: Older adults should get COVID-19 booster shot

Older adults should get another COVID-19 vaccine booster this spring, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

CDC Director Mandy Cohen endorsed a recommendation by the agency's advisory committee that adults 65 and older receive an additional updated dose of the vaccine that became available in September, as long as it has been at least four months since their last shot or three months since a COVID-19 infection.

"Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older,” Cohen said in a statement. "An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over time for those at highest risk."

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Earlier this season, CDC recommended that immunocompromised people should get the same additional booster.

The CDC and the advisory committee will continue monitoring COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness, the release said. The CDC recommends that people stay updated on their vaccines, especially people with weakened immune systems.

The recommendation comes ahead of a likely summer wave of COVID-19 infections. An uptick in cases has happened every summer since the pandemic began.

Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez and The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CDC: Older adults should get COVID-19 booster shot