Biden administration may offer 2nd Covid booster shot to all adults

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The plan comes amid a rise in hospitalizations driven by the BA.5 omicron subvariant.

The Biden administration is considering a plan that would allow all adults to get a second Covid booster shot, according to BBC news reporter

The plan stems from concerns from White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top Biden administration officials about the current rise in hospitalizations, fueled by the extremely contagious omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, the person said.

White House Covid coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha did not confirm the administration would adopt such a plan during a briefing on Tuesday, but said federal health officials have been discussing the possibility of offering boosters for all adults "for a while."

"We have conversations all the time about what are possible things we can be doing to better protect the American people," Jha said. Ultimately, he said such decisions are up to the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Covid hospitalizations have been rising modestly across the United States as the subvariants continue to make up a greater proportion of new cases.

BA.4 and BA.5  considered the most contagious forms of the virus to date — made up about 70% of all new Covid cases in the U.S. for the week ending July 2, according to the CDC.