U.S. health officials are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots at 8 months after receiving the second dose, according to The Associated Press. The recommendation is expected to apply to all Americans, regardless of age, to provide ongoing protection against the coronavirus as the more contagious Delta variant continues to spread across the country. News outlets began to report on the recommendation Monday evening after federal health officials reviewed new data from Israel, which suggested that protection from the Pfizer vaccine is beginning to drop among those who received a second shot in January or February. The booster doses would begin once the FDA fully approves a COVID-19 vaccine, which is expected for the Pfizer shot around the beginning of September. Vaccination sites could offer third shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as early as mid-September, according to The New York Times. Americans who received the first vaccine doses last year — such as front-line health care workers and nursing home residents — would receive the first booster doses. People will likely be recommended to take the same shot they originally received, the newspaper reported. Late last week, the FDA authorized booster shots for immunocompromised patients. People with weakened immune systems, particularly organ transplant patients, face higher risks for developing severe COVID-19 and have a lower immune response to vaccines. Israel has been offering a COVID-19 vaccine booster to people over 50 who were vaccinated more than 5 months ago to reduce a surge in cases due to the Delta variant, according to The Times of Israel. More than 1 million people have received the third shot, and so far, they appear to be 2.5 times more protected from infection than those who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.(SD-Agencies) | 