DENVER (KDVR/AP) — Gov. Jared Polis rolled out his plan to give COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to eligible Coloradans in the fall.
The Food and Drug Administration has not yet made a ruling on if and when Americans should get booster shots for increased protection against the virus.
The FDA announced it will hold a meeting discussing approving a third dose for the Pfizer vaccine this Friday. No word yet on when the administration will hold talks on Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots.
Polis is urging the FDA to quickly authorize booster shots for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as well as approve vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11, saying foot-dragging by U.S. health officials has cost lives.
The Democratic governor told a Monday news conference that “the FDA needs to get out of their ivory tower and realize there is a real life pandemic.”
Months ago, Pfizer requested FDA authorization of a booster dose for its two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, asserting people’s antibody levels jump five- to 10-fold after a third dose, compared to their second dose months earlier.
The White House has begun planning for boosters later this month, if both the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree.
Polis was joined by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment COVID-19 Incident Commander Scott Bookman, and Senior Advisor for COVID-19 Vaccination from the Colorado National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Pieper.
You can re-watch the press conference on FOX31 NOW in the player above.