Nearly 2 million Americans received a third booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the week since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved its use for a select group of people late last week, White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said Friday. 

What You Need To Know

  • Nearly 2 million Americans received a third booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the week since the CDC approved its use for a select group of people late last week

  • In total, a little over 4 million Americans have received a third dose of one of the two conditionally approved booster doses

  • Around 64% of Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, meaning around 70 million eligible people have yet to get their jab 

  • The average amount of both COVID cases and hospitalizations decreased by nearly 15% this week compared to last, Dr. Walensky said Friday. The average daily death toll stands around 1,476 per day

“We estimate that by day's end, almost 2 million Americans will have rolled up their sleeves and gotten a booster shot,” Zients said during Friday’s COVID-19 press briefing. “Nearly 2 million booster shots in the first week. That’s a very strong start.”

In mid-August, federal health agencies approved a third dose of both Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccine for use only in severely immunocompromised individuals, including organ transplant recipients and those “diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.”

Last week, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky approved a third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine for Americans 65 years of age and older and those living in long term care facilities, as well as for Americans 18 to 64 with underlying medical conditions that may put them at higher risk of severe disease, after a CDC advisory panel and a separate Food and Drug Administration panel each recommended the same. 

Dr. Walensky also approved the extra dose for people in high-risk professions, such as health care workers or teachers, a group that the FDA panel did approve boosters for, but the CDC panel did not.

In total, a little over 4 million Americans have received a third dose of one of the two conditionally approved booster doses. According to CDC data, around 2.4 million of those are individuals above 65 years old and above. About 854,000 booster recipients are between 50-64 years old, while another 660,000-plus are between 18-49 years old. 

That leaves about 17,000 booster doses unaccounted for in CDC’s official tally. Spectrum News has reached out to the agency for clarification. 

The Biden administration has faced criticism for rolling out the booster program while millions of Americans — and tens of millions around the world — have yet to receive a first dose of any vaccine. 

Around 64% of Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, meaning around 70 million eligible people have yet to get their jab. 

Still, the average amount of both COVID cases and hospitalizations decreased by nearly 15% this week compared to last, Dr. Walensky said Friday. The average daily death toll stands around 1,476 per day, she added. 

“These people are not evenly distributed,” Walensky said of the unvaccinated population. “There are still places around the country where far too many individuals remain unvaccinated. In many states where vaccination rates are less than 50%, [they are] leaving themselves and their communities at risk, and without adequate protection against COVID-19.”

States with lower vaccination rates have higher rates of hospitalization, and are “remaining substantially elevated, even as case total rates begin to decline,” Walensky said. Health officials continued to urge every eligible American to get their first shot as soon as possible, reiterating the oft-repeated refrain that “COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing serious disease, hospitalization, and deaths.”