FDA Authorizes Second Booster for People Over 50

The FDA on Tuesday authorized a second Pfizer and Moderna booster shot for those over the age of 50.

Providers will be given the green light to begin administering the fourth shot once CDC director Rochelle Walensky signs off on the measure.

"Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals. Additionally, the data show that an initial booster dose is critical in helping to protect all adults from the potentially severe outcomes of COVID-19. So, those who have not received their initial booster dose are strongly encouraged to do so," Peter Marks, the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said.