in the context of these concerns, we are planning for americans to receive booster shots starting next month to maximize vaccine-induced protection. our plan is to protect the american people and stay ahead of this virus. before i turn things over to dr. fauci to ensure the immunologic data, i want to emphasize one final thing. our vaccines continue to offer the best protection against severe covid illness. while we are still learning about how these vaccines perform over time and how long they will last against emerging variants, one thing is very clear. getting vaccinated can keep you out of the hospital. getting vaccinated can save your life. in areas with low vaccination coverage, we continue to hear far too many heartbreaking stories of people who did not get vaccinated, only then to get severe covid-19. in these areas the data are showing us that the more people