At least 1 million people got unauthorized 3rd booster shot: CDC

ByAnne Flaherty and Eric Strauss ABCNews logo
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
At least 1 million people got unauthorized third booster shot
The CDC estimates that 1.1 million people who have received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine have gone back for an unauthorized third booster shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 1 million people who have received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine have gone back for an unauthorized third booster shot.

Florida is among the states reporting the highest number of people opting for a booster shot, followed by Ohio, California, Illinois and Tennessee.

The estimated 1.1 million, included in an internal CDC briefing document reviewed by ABC News, likely is an undercount because although it counts Moderna and Pfizer shot recipients it ignores people who may have received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine and got another shot.

There is new guidance expected soon from the FDA recommending vaccine boosters for those who are immunocompromised.

It's also unclear whether people who received a third shot did so under the direction of a doctor. The Food and Drug Administration hasn't authorized a third shot to boost immunity, although there are reports of some physicians encouraging severely immunocompromised patients to do so.

Boosters for the immunocompromised may be recommended by the FDA within weeks.