Technologies

COVID vaccine boosters: When is it time for that extra shot? Here’s what we know

Officials set an initial Sept. 20 date for vaccine booster shots. We’ll update you on the White House’s booster plan and tell you what’s happening with each vaccine.

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

On Friday, The New York Times reported that officials from the Food and Drug Administration as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advising the White House to scale back its original booster recommendation. Last month, President Joe Biden announced that his administration would start offering boosters to those who’d been fully immunized at least eight months ago by the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. The original plan was contingent on approval by the FDA, which still says there’s not enough data on booster shots to go forward.

Government officials are now cautioning that boosters may be available just for those who received the Pfizer vaccine, because regulators may need more time to evaluate the vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

The booster recommendations come as research shows how the effectiveness of the vaccines can decline. An additional shot from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer or Moderna could provide enhanced protection against the COVID-19 delta variant as it surges across the country. «Recent data makes clear that protection against mild and moderate disease has decreased over time,» US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said during an August briefing on COVID-19 vaccines. «This is likely due to both waning immunity and the strength of the widespread delta variant.»

What does all this mean for you? Read on for what we know about COVID-19 booster shots today, including who can get them now, 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.

Why would a Pfizer vaccine booster be authorized first?

According to a report by The New York Times on Sept. 3, administration health officials warn that the FDA and CDC may not have enough time to approve boosters from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson in time to meet Biden’s goal of starting booster shots on Sept. 20.

While the Pfizer plan seems to remain on track, Moderna announced it just began submitting booster data to the FDA, so the process may take some more time to determine a recommended dosage for a third Moderna shot. Data from Johnson & Johnson has not yet been delivered.

Who would qualify for a booster shot and when?

In August, healthofficials in the Biden administration recommended an additionalshot for Americans 18 and over who are fully vaccinated with thePfizer or Moderna shots, proposing a booster eight months after being fully vaccinated.

During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the end of August, Biden said administration health officials were evaluating a five-month gap, based in part on data from Israel’s booster program. The news followed a report by The Wall Street Journal that the Biden administration was evaluating a booster shot six months after the last jab.

Waiting months in between doses allows the immune system to develop a full response before it is helped by a boost. Whatever the time gap, the booster plan would need to be evaluated and approved by the FDA. The plan is also pendingrecommendation by the CDC’sAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

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

Does full FDA approval of Pfizer’s vaccine include a booster?

On Aug. 23, the FDA approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for two doses for people 16 and older. The Pfizer vaccine is the first to receive FDA approval, while Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available under an emergency use authorization. And for children ages 12 to 15, Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for emergency use.

While a third dose for some immunocompromised individuals is authorized for emergency use, the FDA final authorization does not include a booster shot, which the Biden administration is hoping to roll out as soon as this month. But some health care experts believe the two-shot approval could give a push to those who were waiting on the FDA before getting vaccinated.

«The moment you have been waiting for is here,» Biden said, following the FDA approval. «Now it has been granted. Those who’ve been waiting for full approval should go get their shot now.»

The approval could also lead to more businesses, schools and venues mandating vaccine requirements.

What about a Johnson & Johnson vaccine booster shot?

On Aug. 25, Johnson & Johnson saida booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine increases antibody responses inthose who received the company’s one-dose vaccine, based on interimdatafrom anearly trial. The company said it would work with public healthofficials on a plan for a booster shot for eightmonths or longerafter the first dose of its vaccine.

Currently,the one-doseJohnson & Johnson vaccine is available under anemergency useauthorization for individuals 18 years of age and older.

Bidenadministration health officials said they expect those who receivedtheone-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will need another jab, butmoreresearch is necessary. «We expect more data on J&Jin thecomingweeks,» Murthy said when announcing plans for booster shots in late August.»With thatdata in hand, we willkeep the public informed with thetimely plan forJ&J boostershots.»

What about those eligible for booster shots now?

Some people who already are eligible under guidelines from the CDC can go out and get their third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine immediately. The list of immunocompromised people who can get a third shot includes solid-organ transplant recipients and people who have an «equivalent level of immunocompromise» and who have a reduced ability to fight off infections, making them more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Booster authorization hasn’t yet been expanded more broadly to those with other chronic medical conditions.

The current CDC recommendation is for an additional dose of the two-shot vaccine for certain immunocompromised people. 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 the CDC hasn’t recommended 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.

Will the booster shots be free and 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. «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 5 miles of where they live.

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,» Murthy said. «But we know that even highly effective vaccines become less effective over time.»

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-19 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. «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 possible 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

The Maker of the $20K Neo Robot Has a Deal for 10,000 of Its Humanoids

The goal is to get the robots working with actual humans in areas such as manufacturing, facility operations and health care.

Robot maker 1X made a splash back in October when it opened preorders for its Neo humanoid robot for home use, not least because of its $20,000 price tag. Now it’s making another splash with a deal for up to 10,000 of its humanoids to be deployed over the next five years.

Private equity firm EQT says it will facilitate getting thousands of 1X humanoids into its portfolio companies to work with humans in areas such as manufacturing, facility operations and health care. It’s unclear whether those robots will be from the Neo line itself or a variation. The press release for the EQT deal says that 1X will launch pilots in the US in 2026, which is the same time frame the company gave for getting the first Neo units to customers.

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1X, based in Palo Alto, California, has also worked on industrial robots before introducing Neo. Stockholm-based EQT is an investor in 1X.

Preorders for Neo require a $200 down payment. For those who prefer not to own, a $499-per-month leasing option is available.

Neo stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and can lift 154 pounds. 1X has demonstrated its ability to perform household tasks, such as folding laundry and carrying groceries. Notably, though, in a demo witnessed by a Wall Street Journal reporter, Neo was not autonomous — it required a remote human operator using a VR headset and controllers.

A 1X spokesperson told Bloomberg that the robots will operate autonomously.

Financial terms for the EQT deal weren’t disclosed. 1X and EQT said robots will be deployed to US partner companies first, for purchase or for leasing, and then to those in Europe and Asia.

A representative for 1X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A robotic future?

In a release, EQT Ventures said the deal will be part of a wave of mass-market robot adoption and is meant to address issues including labor shortages.

«This isn’t about replacing people, it’s about giving them superpowers,» Ted Persson, lead partner at EQT Ventures, said in a statement. «By making 1X’s technology available to our portfolio companies, we help them tackle labor shortages, improve safety, and unlock new levels of productivity in the industries that keep the world running.»

1X is one of several companies aiming to mass-produce humanoid robots for business, household tasks and even boxing. Amazon is already using robots in its warehouses, and it’s anticipated that AI advances will help speed the rise of robotics across the world.

Unitree, Apptronik, Boston Dynamics and Tesla are among the companies working on human-style robots.

Tesla has been trolled for a recent robot fail: At a public demo in Miami, one of its Optimus robots apparently knocked over bottles it was trying to pick up, then lost its balance and fell.

Technologies

Microsoft Wishes Xbox Game Pass Subscribers a Bloody Christmas With Mortal Kombat 1

«Get over here!» and celebrate the holidays with Scorpion.

Just in time for the holidays, Microsoft has a new batch of games on Xbox Game Pass. Leading the pack is Mortal Kombat 1, the bloody reboot of the fighting game franchise. It’s the perfect time of the year to sing carols and decapitate some digital heads.

Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, added monthly.

Here are all the games subscribers can play on Game Pass. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in November, including The Outer Worlds 2.

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Mortal Kombat 1

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

The Mortal Kombat series has gone back to the beginning, sort of. Mortal Kombat 1 is a reboot of the franchise with some changes, such as series protagonist Liu Kang becoming the Fire God who created this new universe. Pick your favorite fighter from the mainstays, including Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Johnny Cage, or splurge a bit and purchase the downloadable characters, including the T-1000 from the Terminator series, Conan the Barbarian or DC Comics’ Peacemaker.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a narrative adventure game from Don’t Nod, the studio behind Life Is Strange, and follows a group of friends as they uncover long-hidden secrets from a pivotal summer in 1995. Decades later, they reunite to confront the secrets they buried and the fallout that still haunts them.

Monster Train 2

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Monster Train 2 is the sequel to the deck-building roguelike from Shiny Shoe, bringing back strategic card combat with new factions and mechanics. Players once again battle through shifting hellscapes while defending their pyre from invading forces. The sequel expands on the original with deeper customization, more dynamic battles and fresh ways to build powerful decks.

Routine

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Routine is a first-person sci-fi horror game from Lunar Software, finally released after more than a decade in development. Set on an abandoned lunar base, it blends exploration with tense, survival-driven encounters against rogue machines. The game’s long road to launch has made its atmospheric world and polished retro-futuristic design a key part of its appeal.

The Crew Motorfest

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 20.

The Crew Motorfest is a massive car culture festival spanning the Hawaiian islands, featuring races, stunts and open-world driving challenges. The game features more than 700 vehicles, including cars, bikes, boats and planes, letting you pick how you want to explore the islands. Now in its third year of free updates, Motorfest adds new locations, customization options, a race creator tool and NASCAR content.

Death Howl

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Death Howl is a genre‑blending soulslike deckbuilder where players craft tactical decks and face relentless spirits as Ro, a grieving mother on a mythic quest to bring her son back from the dead. You’ll be building decks, dodging deadly spirits and wondering if that creepy forest is watching you back.

Dome Keeper

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 25.

Dome Keeper is a roguelike survival miner from indie studio Bippinbits, where players dig for resources and upgrade their defenses while protecting a glass dome from relentless alien attacks. You’ll still be digging for scraps and blasting alien hordes as you juggle mining for upgrades and zipping back to shore up your dome before it gets wrecked.

Games leaving Game Pass in December

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass, it’s also removing five others from the service this month. So you still have some time to finish your campaign and any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.

On December 15:

On December 31:

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to the Game Pass service.

Technologies

Exodus, the Upcoming Sci-Fi Game, Merges Mass Effect With the Drama of Interstellar

Ahead of The Game Awards, the developers of the action RPG talk about time dilation, romanceable companions and other hard sci-fi effects.

Exodus, the upcoming game made by former BioWare developers who worked on the Mass Effect series, has been a long-awaited follow-up to the venerable action RPG. Now, a new trailer shown off at The Game Awards 2025 on Thursday night introduces the game’s characters, teases the dramatic, star-spanning story, and gives sci-fi gamers what they want most: the news that the game will be released in 2027.

First introduced at The Game Awards two years ago, Exodus will be the debut game from studio Archetype Entertainment, operating under Wizards of the Coast. Early trailers laid the groundwork of the game’s universe, a hard science fiction adventure where travel across the stars can take moments for one person or decades for another. Now that the game is closer to its release, I sat down with Exodus’ developers to chat about what’s in store for their newly revealed hero, Jun. We also chatted about companions, big choices and Matthew McConaughey.

McConaughey, previously confirmed to be in the game, plays a mysterious character named C.C. Orlev, explained Chad Robertson, co-founder and general manager at Archetype. He’s a blend of teacher and voice of the people, meaning players will likely hear a lot from the famed actor during their playthrough as Jun.

«Jun doesn’t really fully understand the origins of how C.C. comes into his life, effectively. And C.C. still serves as a bit of a mentor and advisor to Jun,» Robertson said.

McConaughey’s role in the hard sci-fi film Interstellar thematically aligns with Exodus’ implementation of time dilation — the physics theory that as objects go faster (like a ship approaching the speed of light), time slows down for them. Since there are no wormholes or teleporters in the game’s universe, explained Drew Karpyshyn, narrative director of Exodus at Archetype, players will have to make some tough calls. If they head out on a mission that’s 10 years away and takes 10 years to come back, that’s 20 years passing on the planet they left.

«Everybody’s aged. The world has moved on. Things have changed, and that puts some really interesting opportunities and some really interesting conflicts and dilemmas for the players to deal with, the emotional impact of what happens to the people you leave behind — your friends, your companions, the people you care about,» Karpyshyn said.

Time dilation is just one of the mechanics that sets Exodus apart from other sci-fi games. In Exodus, humanity left an uninhabitable Earth thousands of years ago to find refuge in the Centauri system, but their colony ships staggered in their arrival. The latest humans to make it, like Jun, are met by civilizations that have evolved over the millennia into other humanoids alongside «Awakened animals,» explained Chris King, game director of Exodus at Archetype.

«I think there’s similarities to games we’ve worked on in the past, but there’s a ton of things we’re doing that are pretty different,» King said.

Archetype has leaned heavily on player decisions in Exodus, which isn’t a surprise since its developers were behind the choice-heavy BioWare games. Expect plenty of morally ambiguous choices in the game that won’t make everyone happy, King said. Players will just have to go on Exodus missions — the titular sojourns that leave family and friends behind for years at a time — and see how they play out.

«For us, it’s all about trying to give players as much agency as possible. We think of them as co-authors in the story and experience,» King said. «We’re basically trying to cram in as many choices and consequential gameplay so that they can customize the experience and compare notes with a friend who’s playing the same game. Their experience can be pretty drastically different.»

Unlike the pure good and evil choices of games like Knights of the Old Republic or Mass Effect, Exodus will veer away from a specific alignment system, Karpyshyn said. There will be mechanics in the game that honor and reflect choices, though the developers are trying to avoid the more artificial feel of picking options for, say, goodness points in favor of picking what’s best for their character. Gameplay choices, interactions and how players upgrade their hero will give them a reputation.

Companions also play a big part, and some of them will be romanceable, but not all. In the new trailer, we meet Salt, an Awakened octopus piloting a mech suit who simply isn’t interested in humans like Jun. These companion characters have their own stories and motivations that players can choose to explore, and they won’t always see eye-to-eye with each other.

While we’ll have to wait and see how Archetype incorporates all these sci-fi RPG elements, it’s clear that Mass Effect’s shadow looms large over Exodus. How much the new game resembles its spiritual predecessor will be clarified as more of it is revealed, but a clear divergence lies in inspiration. In addition to Interstellar, Archetype’s developers looked to another iconic sci-fi saga to pattern its new game after: Frank Herbert’s epic Dune novels, which were recently adapted to the screen by Denis Villeneuve.

Archetype took specific inspiration from «the scope and timelines of consequences, the idea of dynasties, family politics, rising up to become a leader and sort of savior of your people,» Karpyshynsaid.

At Archetype’s studio space in Austin, Texas, posters line the walls from films and media that also inspired the game, like Interstellar and Edge of Tomorrow. Other properties, like the Star Wars show The Mandalorian, evoke the desperate fights players will find themselves in in Exodus — outnumbered, outgunned and flanked by a couple of companions. The developers took a page out of Horizon Zero Dawn’s elemental combat, too.

For all that they’re working to step out from Mass Effect’s shadow, the developers acknowledge its impact on fans — and their desire that Exodus rise to a similar place in gamers’ esteem.

«Mass Effect gets brought up pretty frequently for us. We humbly aspire to deliver something that will resonate with fans at the scale of Mass Effect. We’re super excited and confident that what we’re building is going to put us in that direction, but we’ve got to earn that with fans and deliver something that they’re excited about,» Robertson said.