Michael Cardinal, FISM News

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The CDC has given more weight to its booster recommendations due to fear of the spread of the Omicron variant, despite early reports from those on the front line that the new strand appears to be mild.

The CDC has changed it’s wording from saying that all adults 18 years and older could get a booster shot, to now saying that all adults should get a booster shot. Previously the CDC only recommended boosters for those 50 years or older or adults living in health care facilities.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced the change in a statement:

Today, CDC is strengthening its recommendation on booster doses for individuals who are 18 years and older. Everyone ages 18 and older should get a booster shot either when they are 6 months after their initial Pfizer or Moderna series or 2 months after their initial J&J vaccine.

Walensky cited “early data from South Africa [that] suggest increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant” as the reason for the change in the organizations recommendation.

FISM News previously reported that Dr. Angelique Coetzee, national chairperson of the South African Medical Association and one of the first doctors to discover the new Omicron variant, had suggested that there is no need to panic over the newest iteration of the coronavirus as it has appeared to be milder than other strains of the virus.

Biden also addressed the variant in an address yesterday saying that the new variant was a “cause for concern, not a cause for panic.” He also used the opportunity to further encourage Americans to get vaccinated and boosted in his address, saying that “boosters strengthen [vaccine] protection significantly.”

The FDA is also expected to authorize booster shots to 16 and 17-year-olds as early as next week.