Tipsheet

The Goalposts Keep Moving: CDC Director Says the Definition of Fully Vaccinated May Change

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  October 22, 2021 2:30 PM

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday the U.S. may need to update its “definition of fully vaccinated.”

“Right now we don’t have booster eligibility for all people currently,” she said during a White House COVID-19 response briefing. “So we have not yet changed the definition of fully vaccinated. We will continue to look at this. We may need to update our definition of fully vaccinated in the future.”

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized boosters for the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines, which are still operating under emergency use authorizations, for those 65 and older and individuals at an increased risk of contracting severe COVID-19. The move follows the FDA’s Pfizer booster recommendation last month for at-risk populations. The agency also approved a "mix and match" approach that allows recipients of one vaccine to receive boosters of another.

Walensky's comment is just the latest example of the administration moving the goalposts, though it could be argued there were none to begin with.