Colorado opens COVID-19 boosters to all adults, but CDC director is reportedly iffy on national approval

Dr. Rochelle Walensky
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) issued an executive order Thursday opening COVID-19 booster shots to all vaccinated adults, saying that because "disease spread is so significant across Colorado, all Coloradans who are 18 years of age and older are at high risk and qualify for a booster shot." Under current federal guidelines, all adult Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients can get a booster, but only those 65 and older or at high risk due to medical conditions or exposure at work are eligible for a third Pfizer or Moderna shot.

Most top health officials in the Biden administration — including Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, top medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, and chief White House coronavirus science officer David Kessler — support opening booster shots to all adults nationwide, The Washington Post reports, citing people familiar with their views. But "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky has expressed caution about making extra shots so broadly available now," and "tension is rising among officials over how quickly to proceed and who should get the shots."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.