Biden administration will advise most Americans to receive coronavirus booster 8 months after vaccination: report

• Boosters may be offered as early as mid- to late-September, Biden administration officials told The New York Times.
• Nursing home residents and health care workers will likely receive the first boosters.
• More than 198 million Americans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

The Biden administration is planning to announce early this week that most Americans should get a coronavirus booster vaccination eight months after their last shot, with boosters being made available as early as mid- to late- September, The New York Times reported.

Individuals who received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines will be notified that they need additional protection against the Delta variant, although the administration's new policy regarding additional shots will depend on authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, according to the New York Times. Outlets including the Washington Post and Associated Press published similar reports.

The Delta variant, which causes more infections and spreads faster than earlier forms of the virus, is currently the predominant strain of the virus in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an August 6 update.

Biden administration officials anticipate that individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also need an additional dose but are waiting for clinical trial results, which are expected later this month, according to The New York Times.

Nursing home residents and health care workers will likely receive the first boosters, and officials envision giving them the same vaccine they originally received, according to The New York Times.

An FDA spokesperson said the agency, along with the CDC and National Institutes of Health, are still reviewing when booster shots may be needed.

"We continue to review any new data as it becomes available and will keep the public informed," the spokesperson said by email.

More than 198 million Americans - 59.8% of the country's population - have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to August 16 data from the CDC.