CDC recommends new COVID-19 booster for Americans 6 months and older

Sept. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending ahead of the winter season that all Americans aged 6 months and older receive the updated COVID-19 booster shot to protect against serious illness.

The updated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will be available later this week, the CDC said, while stating that vaccination remains the best protection against COVID-19-related death and hospitalization as well as reduces the chances of suffering from the effects of so-called Long COVID.

"If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past 2 months, get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself this fall and winter," it said Tuesday in a statement.

The announcement was made a day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration signed off on the updated shot on Monday. The federal regulator said it was "confident in the safety and effectiveness" of the updated vaccines and that its benefit-risk assessment "demonstrates that the benefits of these vaccines for individuals 6 months of age and older outweigh their risks."

President Joe Biden in a statement from the White House described the announcement as marking "another important milestone" in the fight against a virus that has killed more than 1.1 million Americans.

"As we head into fall and winter, we are in our strongest position yet with more tools and systems available than every before -- including safe and effective vaccines, widely available at-home tests and effective treatments," he said, while encouraging "all Americans to stay up-to-date on their vaccines."

The CDC added that this is the first winter when vaccines have been available for COVID-19, RSV and the flue -- the three viruses responsible for most hospitalizations.

It also said the updated COVID-19 vaccines will be free for most Americans as most health insurance plans will cover it. Those without health insurance or with plans that won't pay for the shot, free vaccines are available through facilities participating in the CDC's Bridge Access Program.