The World Health Organization released a statement on Tuesday saying a second booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine would be beneficial for vulnerable people, including people over 60 years old, those who are immunocompromised, and health care workers.
In the statement, the WHO said a group of experts reviewed data from seven studies involving second booster shots, and the data only exists for the mRNA vaccines.
"In those most at risk for severe disease or death (i.e. adults above the age of 60 years, or those who are not able to mount a full immune response), the additional benefit of an additional booster dose of mRNA vaccine might be warranted," the WHO said in the statement.
New cases of COVID-19 have been recently rising, as there were 134,102 new cases in the United States on May 17 with a 7-day average of 102,807 cases.
Worldwide, the daily average of new cases is at 565,456 as of May 17 and is down 4% over the last two weeks, according to The New York Times.
220,682,023 people have been fully vaccinated in the U.S., accounting for 66.5% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, only 102,360,702 people have received their first booster shot.
"What we are seeing is that people who are vaccinated have a much reduced risk of developing severe disease and death," the WHO’s COVID-19 lead Maria Van Kerkhove told the Associated Press. "We have solutions for this because we have vaccines."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in March that people 50 or older and those at least 12-years-old and are immunocompromised would be eligible for a second booster shot at least four months after their first booster.
The CDC followed suit, and updated it's recommendations to allow certain people to become eligible for a second booster shot. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky issued a statement at the time regarding the update to booster shots.
"Today, CDC expanded eligibility for an additional booster dose for certain individuals who may be at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19," Walensky said. "Boosters are safe, and people over the age of 50 can now get an additional booster 4 months after their prior dose to increase their protection further.
"This is especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time. CDC, in collaboration with FDA and our public health partners, will continue to evaluate the need for additional booster doses for all Americans."
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