As the COVID-19 and Delta Variant cases take the world by storm, more and more doctors are urging people to get vaccinated. Along with getting the shot, booster shots are now available to help slow down the deaths and cases further.

Many companies are working on creating a booster shot as fast as possible to get approved by the FDA. As of now, both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are waiting to get their booster vaccine approved. Pfizer is working alongside BioNTech in providing a booster shot for patients who have already taken the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. In order to be eligible, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will need to be in the patient’s system for at least six months.

 By getting the approved Pfizer booster vaccine, it can increase the “immune response in trial participants,[w]ith an increased immune response, people should have improved protection against COVID-19, including the Delta variant,” says the CDC.

As of now, the Pifzer booster shot is the only booster that has been approved by the CDC and is  already in use. It has been made accessible and available for patients who are fifty years of age or older who have underlying medical conditions. However, if a patient is eighteen or older and have been placed in a long-term care setting, have underlying medical conditions, or is at high risk of COVID-19 exposure or transmission, are eligible to get the booster shot after “considering their individual risks and benefits,” says the CDC.

Both Johnson & Johnson and Moderna have created a booster vaccine. They are currently waiting to get the green light from the FDA. In early September, Moderna asked for their booster to be approved, and in early October Johnson & Johnson submitted theirs as well.

Both companies are patiently waiting until they receive the “sign-off from the leadership of both the FDA and the CDC, [as soon as] both agencies give the go-ahead, Americans could begin getting J&J and Moderna boosters later this month,” says NBC Chicago.

Everyone is encouraged to get vaccinated to prevent more people from getting the Delta Variant. By getting vaccinated, not only are you protecting yourself but the ones around you. If you have had the Pfizer vaccine in your system for six months or more and are sixty five or older, receiving the booster vaccine increases protection against the COVID-19 as well as the Delta Variant. 

For more information and updates about the booster shots, visit the CDC website.