COVID-19 booster shots not needed for now: WHO

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, asked about the need for boosters to increase protection against the disease, told a Geneva news conference, "We believe clearly that the data today does not indicate that boosters are needed."

Geneva: Current data does not indicate that COVID-19 booster shots are needed, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, adding that the most vulnerable people worldwide should be fully vaccinated before high-income countries deploy a top-up. The comments came just before the US government said it planned to make the booster shots widely available to all Americans starting on September 20 as infections from the Delta variant of the coronavirus rise. WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, asked about the need for boosters to increase protection against the disease, told a Geneva news conference, "We believe clearly that the data today does not indicate that boosters are needed."