The United States has administered a third dose of either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to over 1 million people since August 13, when regulators authorized an additional shot for immunocompromised people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday, according to the Reuters news agency.
As of 6:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, said the CDC, 205,527,578 people had received at least one vaccine dose, while 174,600,017 people are fully vaccinated.
The CDC recommends a third dose at least 28 days after the second dose of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for people with moderate to severely compromised immune systems, who are likely to have weaker protection from the two-dose regimens.
Several weeks ago, the Biden administration presented a plan to provide third doses of the coronavirus vaccines to Americans who want to receive them starting September 20, if the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC decide they are needed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly called for a moratorium on administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines as a means of reducing global vaccine inequality.
The United States rejected the WHO appeal, saying the US has enough vaccines to both administer booster shots should they be needed as well as to supply poorer nations.