Technologies

COVID-19 booster shots in the US: 8 important things to know

Who’s eligible for a booster shot against the delta variant? When will vaccine boosters be available? What about the J&J shot? We’ll explain.

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites.

Though the plan for COVID-19 booster shots still needs to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, those third jabs are coming. And they’re not just for people with compromised immune systems. On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced it was recommending that adults fully vaccinated with the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine get a third shot as a booster. The shots will start to be made available next month.

The booster will provide added protection to the fully vaccinated as the COVID-19 delta variant surges across the country. The plan comes as research shows that the effectiveness of the vaccines can decline. «Recent data makes clear that protection against mild and moderate disease has decreased over time,» US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Wednesday. «This is likely due to both waning immunity and the strength of the widespread delta variant.»

The White House plan would allow for the booster shot eight months after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The need for a booster shot for the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is also likely, though a plan hasn’t yet been made. Murthy says those who were vaccinated early on will be eligible for the booster first, and priority will go to those most vulnerable, including health care workers, nursing home residents and seniors.

What does all this mean in the US? Read on for what we know about COVID-19 booster shots today, including why they’re needed, how they relate to breakthrough infections, and what the controversy has been surrounding third shots. We’ll be updating this as new information is released.

Who will qualify for the COVID-19 booster shot and when?

On Wednesday, health officials with the Biden administration recommended an additional shot for American adults 18 and over who are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna shots. The guidance follows reports from Israel that the protection the Pfizer vaccine provides may start to decrease after eight months.

However, the booster plan still needs to be evaluated and approved by the FDA, which will review the safety and effectiveness of a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines. The plan is also pending recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The administration is recommending a booster shot eight months after becoming fully vaccinated. So, for those who received their shots in January and February, that could be as early as mid-September. The booster vaccines are expected to be available the week of Sept. 20.

«We believe that that third dose will ultimately be needed to provide the fullest and continual extent of protection that we think people need from the virus,» Murthy said Wednesday. «Our plan is to stay ahead of this virus by being prepared to offer COVID-19 booster shots to fully vaccinated adults 18 years and older.» Murthy said the FDA will evaluate booster shots for those younger than 18 years of age, and the administration will follow FDA recommendations for minors.

What about a Johnson & Johnson booster shot?

Administration officials said they expect those who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also need another jab, but since it didn’t receive approval (and thus start being administered) until March, more research is necessary. «We expect more data on J&J in the coming weeks,» Murthy said. «With that data in hand, we will keep the public informed with the timely plan for J&J booster shots.»

Will the booster shots be free and readily available?

The current one-dose vaccine shot from Johnson & Johnson and two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer are free to anyone who wants to get vaccinated. And the additional shots will be free too. «These booster shots are free,» Biden said on Wednesday. «It will be easy. Just show your vaccination card and you’ll get a booster. No other ID. No insurance. No state registry requirements.»

«It will be just as easy and convenient to get a booster shot as it is to get a first shot today. We have enough vaccine supply for every American,» said White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients, adding that those who are eligible will be able to get a booster at roughly 80,000 places across the country, including over 40,000 local pharmacies. Zients said 90% of Americans have a vaccine site within five miles of where they live.

What about those eligible for booster shots now?

Some people who already are eligible under guidelines from the CDC can nowgo out and get their third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The list ofimmunocompromised people who can get a third shot includes solid organtransplant recipients or people who have an «equivalent level ofimmunocompromise» and who have a reduced ability to fight offinfections, making them more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Boosterauthorization hasn’t yet been expanded more broadly to those with otherchronic medical conditions.

The current CDC recommendation is for an additional dose of the two-shot vaccine for certain immunocompromised people, which is a small group. Within that category, the recommendation is for those 18 and older for the Moderna vaccine, and 12 and older for the Pfizer vaccine. The FDA didn’t authorize an additional dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and because of a lack of data at this time, the CDC doesn’t recommend a second dose for immunocompromised people who got the one-shot vaccine.

About 3% of US adults are immunocompromised, according to the CDC, but research suggests they account for about 44% of hospitalized breakthrough cases of COVID-19. Not only are they more likely to get very ill from COVID-19, they also have a lower antibody response to vaccines and are at a higher risk of transmitting the virus.

Those with other conditions, like diabetes and heart disease, aren’t advised to get a booster, at least for now. Here’s a list of people the CDC recommends get an extra dose if they got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine:

Those with advanced or untreated HIV infection.
Cancer patients and transplant recipients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.
Those receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.
Those with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency.
Patients being treated with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress immune response.
People who received a stem cell transplant within the last two years and are taking certain drugs. The CDC says to talk to your medical provider about your health condition and whether a third shot is appropriate.

If you’re unsure whether you’re qualified, the CDC says to talk to your medical provider about your health condition and whether a third dose is appropriate.

What’s behind the need for COVID-19 booster shots?

«The COVID-19 vaccines that are authorized in the United States have been remarkably effective, even against the widespread delta variant. But we know that even highly effective vaccines become less effective over time,» Murthy said.

Calling the eradication of the COVID-19 virus «unlikely,» a UK scientific advisory group found (PDF) that there’s a «realistic possibility» that a variant will emerge that is resistant to the current battery of vaccines. Governments, public health organizations and vaccine makers are all tracking developments in coronavirus variants like delta and lambda, hoping to determine if booster shots targeting new variants will be needed among the general population.

What’s the relationship to COVID ‘breakthrough cases’?

As of July, in the US, «breakthrough» coronavirus cases caused by the dominant delta variant amount to less than 1% of people who are fully vaccinated. Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have proved to be more than 90% effective against hospitalizations and death. Nonetheless, a CDC study shows that vaccinated people can both contract the highly contagious delta variant and spread it. According to a widely reported internal CDC memo, the delta variant spreads as easily as chicken pox, which is considered more contagious than the flu but less contagious than measles.

The surge in new COVID-19 cases is primarily affecting unvaccinated people and causing community spread, and in turn, prompting the return of mask mandates and guidance in hard-hit areas, even for people who have full vaccine protection. The debate over mask use and vaccine boosters underscores how scientists and other health experts continue to grapple with the uncertainties of COVID-19.

According to Murthy, «We are concerned that this pattern of decline we are seeing will continue in the months ahead, which could lead to reduced protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death.»

What’s the global controversy over booster shots?

Israel is now administering third doses of the vaccine to those 50 and older, and the UK has similar plans for September. However, this is resulting in a backlash among countries that are struggling to deliver first and second shots to residents.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a «moratorium» on booster shots in high-income countries, citing the global disparity in vaccine distribution. Of the 4 billion doses administered globally, 80% have gone to high- and upper-middle income countries that make up less than half the world’s population, he said.

«We cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it, while the world’s most vulnerable people remain unprotected. We call on vaccine producers to prioritize Covax,» Tedros said, referring to the world’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution program.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Aug. 17 that the US will have enough vaccines to both provide boosters for those who are fully vaccinated in the US and meet the global demand. «We have long planned from enough supply,» she said.

The US has so far shipped 115 million vaccine doses to 80 different countries, Zients said Wednesday. «Our wartime efforts will continue doing everything we can to get even more people vaccinated both here at home and around the world. We can and must do both at the same time because that’s what it’s going to take to end this pandemic,» he said.

Is it OK to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines?

According to The New York Times, administration officials will recommend people get a booster of the same vaccine they originally received. The CDC now says a third dose of a different vaccine brand is permitted if a dose of the same type isn’t available.

Other global health agencies and countries are testing administered vaccines from two different manufacturers. In the UK, for example, a recent study found that those who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and a second of Pfizer had a higher immune response than those who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

While we watch how the situation develops, here’s what we know about the delta variant and info on whether you need to continue to wear a mask.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

Technologies

I Tried This $40 Smartwatch: It Was Meh, but Not a Complete Waste of Time

The WITHit Giga does the basics for a lot less, but at the expense of accuracy and attention to detail.

I wasn’t expecting much when I first strapped the WITHit Giga Smartwatch onto my wrist, and at least it delivered on that. This $40 smartwatch does the basics: shows notifications, counts your steps, tracks your heart rate (sort of) and lets you take calls from your wrist. But the execution of all these features is where it all starts to fall apart, and I found myself getting exactly what I paid for.

After spending a week testing it, I came away with this: If you just want a basic smartwatch that works with both Android and iPhone, tells the time, tracks your steps and surfaces notifications, this will get the job done, just don’t expect accuracy. But if you can stretch your budget even a little, something like the $75 Amazfit Bip 6 offers more accurate tracking, a more refined design and more reliable performance.

Design and UI: big, bulky, and basic

The WITHit Giga is about as no-frills as smartwatches come. It looks like an Apple Watch Ultra impersonator: metallic frame around a rectangular screen, rounded edges and even Apple Watch-like icons inside. But that’s where the similarities end.

If your wrist is on the smaller side like mine (I have a 6-inch wrist), brace yourself because this is going to look huge. The Giga’s 48.5mm case is overpowering, and there’s no smaller size option. On my wrist, it felt bulky and out of place, and the thick, textured silicone bands definitely didn’t help matters.

The 2.04-inch AMOLED display is decent with a 386×448 resolution, but the screen brightness isn’t adaptive. You’ll need to manually adjust it, which means it’s almost too bright at night and borderline unreadable in direct sunlight unless you increase the brightness manually.

This watch runs its own proprietary system, syncs to the WITHit app and works with both Android and iOS. You’ll get notifications, basic fitness tracking, an always-on display (which in my testing drained the battery fast) and a speaker/mic combo for answering calls.

The UI is straightforward but lacks polish. Swiping right opens your favorites and the side button lets you quickly launch a workout. Animations feel slow and longer text scrolls in awkwardly to fit the screen.

Battery life: Not bad but there’s a catch

Battery life is one of the few things that holds up well here. I got about three days of use with the raise-to-wake option, and roughly a day and a half with the always on display enabled. That’s not bad for the price, and it’s actually better than even some flagship smartwatches.

But the manual comes with a big red flag: «Avoid fast chargers» and don’t overcharge. That’s not something you want to see in 2025, especially because at this point in my smartwatch charger collection I don’t know which one is fast, and which one is not, and the vague warning makes me think it’s going to explode if I make the wrong choice. Charging from an empty battery to full takes about two hours with the included magnetic charger. But once I left it charging overnight and I approached it with terror the next morning thinking I’d broken the «don’t overcharge» rule. Luckily, I came out unscathed.

Health and fitness tracking: lower your expectations

Workout tracking and wellness is where the cracks really show. Yes, the Giga technically tracks heart rate, blood oxygen (SpO2), sleep, stress and menstrual cycles. But the accuracy is questionable at best.

During workouts, heart rate measurements were consistently off when compared to a chest strap and even other wrist-based trackers. The post workout HR average was close enough, but the metrics during the workout were noticeably off. For example, as I was sitting on my Pilates reformer (completely sedentary) starting a workout on the watch, the screen already read «100bpm», while the chest strap and Apple Watch had me at 65 bpm. This made me skeptical of even the resting heart rate readings.

Sleep tracking only works between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., meaning night shift workers or anyone with an irregular schedule (like this late-night writer) is out of luck.

Sleep stats are also confusing; instead of clear sleep stages or hours of sleep, you get odd comparisons like «fewer than 26% of people in your age group go to sleep this late.» Not exactly sure what I should do with this information.

Menstrual tracking is purely manual, based on averages, with no biological marker detection like temperature tracking. You can’t even log a period directly from the watch and have to do it from the app.

Other smartwatch features

Calls: As long as your phone is within range, you can answer and make phone calls from the watch with its speaker and mic, but clarity is an issue.
Texting: You can see texts from messaging apps, but you can’t reply or even send a prewritten response (when paired to an iPhone).
Voice Assistant: Technically available, but is basically just a shortcut to activate your own phone’s assistant. You tap, and Siri or Google Assistant opens on your phone, not the watch. Not helpful.
Quick settings: Save your recently used apps in quick settings, which actually made flipping between features like workouts and music controls more convenient — this is a win.

Should you buy it?

The WITHit Giga does the bare minimum you’d expect from a smartwatch, but at the expense of accuracy and attention to detail. For $40, it’s a functional notification mirror with step tracking, call support and a splash of health features (if you’re looking for a general overview at best).

But if you can stretch your budget, something like the $80 Amazfit Bip 6 offers far better value, accurate health tracking, cleaner UI and better battery life.

Bottom line: If you keep your expectations low, and you’re just dipping your toes in the smartwatch waters for the first time, this might suffice. Otherwise, it’s worth paying more for something that feels less like a toy and more like a tool.

Technologies

Xbox Game Pass Adds Grounded 2 and Others This Month

Game Pass subscribers will also be able to play the new 90s-inspired horror game Abiotic Factor.

The award-winning, quirky survival game Grounded is like the game version of the classic ’80s comedy film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. And Xbox Game Pass subscribers can get early access to that game’s sequel, Grounded 2, on July 29.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC or mobile device for $20 a month. A subscription gives you access to a large library of games, with new ones, including Doom: The Dark Ages, added monthly, plus other benefits such as online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles.

Here are the games Microsoft is bringing to Game Pass soon. You can also check out other games the company added to the service recently, like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4.

RoboCop: Rogue City

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play now.

Serve the public, protect the innocent and uphold the law as the cyborg RoboCop. You’ll investigate crimes in Old Detroit before using your cyborg strength, cybernetic implants and arsenal of weapons to eradicate gangs from the area. This game is a whole new RoboCop story based on the film series, and Peter Weller, the original RoboCop himself, returns to voice the titular character.

My Friendly Neighborhood

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play now.

Something’s going on with everyone’s favorite Saturday morning puppet show, and it’s up to you to figure out what in this survival horror game. You’ll solve puzzles and use tools and improvised weapons to fend off your multicolored foes. So if you have anything against Barney or Big Bird, you can take out your feelings on them with this game.

Back to the Dawn

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play now.

This game is like if the series Prison Break took place in the Zootopia universe. You’ll play as either a fox named Thomas or a black panther named Bob as they try to navigate the prison system and escape with their lives. With multiple escape routes and over 100 quests you can complete, you can replay this game numerous times and have a different experience each time.

Abiotic Factor

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 22.

Science meets violence in this 1990s-inspired sci-fi survival game. You and up to five other players can choose your areas of expertise, build your scientist and explore a massive, top-secret underground complex filled with artifacts and supernatural horrors that could tear you limb from limb. And remember, safety, security and secrecy are of the utmost importance… usually.

Wheel World

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 23.

If you want to take a nice, relaxing bike ride, this game is for you. Previously known as Ghost Bike, this game puts you behind the handlebars of one of the last ghost bikes around. These bikes can traverse between the lands of the living and the dead. You can explore these lands at your leisure while you race other riders and upgrade your ride with treasures you find along the way.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 24.

This souls-like RPG is set during the final days of the Ming Dynasty. You play as an amnesiac pirate warrior named Wuchang on a quest to uncover the truth behind a world full of chaos. You’ll fight monstrous creatures in forgotten temples and overgrown ruins, unlock new weapons and master devastating techniques in order to bring peace to yourself and others.

Grounded 2 (game preview)

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 29.

You’ve been shrunk to the size of an ant — again — and you’ll have to survive the dangerous, miniature world. You’ll fight spiders and wasps, craft weapons and homes and even ride on your own insect friends to get around. You’ll unravel new mysteries along the way, but be careful. Something else is out there, and it hasn’t forgotten about you.

Farming Simulator 25

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play on Aug. 1.

Farming isn’t always as simple as games like Stardew Valley might make it out to be, but it can still be very rewarding. If you want a taste of what goes into building and maintaining your own farm, give Farming Simulator 25 a try. You’ll grow diverse crops, raise different animals and with the weather-changing, ground-deforming atmosphere, you’ll face all kinds of challenges along the way.

Games leaving Game Pass on July 31

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass soon, it’s also removing three other games on July 31. So you still have some time to finish your campaign or complete any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.

Gigantic: Rampage Edition
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Turnip Boy Robs a Bank

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you. You can also check out what to know about upcoming Xbox game price hikes.