President Joe Biden announced Wednesday from the White House that Americans will need a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot eight months after they have received their second dose.

Biden says the booster shots will be available beginning the week of Sept. 20.

"Show your vaccination card and you will get a booster," says Biden.

The president went on to say that there are enough supplies of the booster shot, saying to the American people, "Help us end the pandemic faster."

Both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech say their two-dose vaccines are protective for at least six months, but Pfizer- BioNTech submitted initial data to the FDA saying a third shot "may help maintain a high level of protection against COVID-19."

"Even though this new data affirms that vaccine protection remains high against the worst outcomes of COVID, we are concerned that this pattern of decline we are seeing will continue in the months ahead, which could lead to reduce protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death," says U.S. surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy.

"We anticipate that the doses should be identical. There can be some variation, and they may do that in response to the different variants, but we anticipate it to be an identical dose, again, meant to stimulate a further response of your immune system," says Dr. Matthew Harris, of Northwell Health vaccination program medicine director.

Only about 70% of Americans 12 and up are fully vaccinated, and the mask mandate debate rages on as the delta variant continues to spread as it now makes up nearly 99% of new cases.

Biden says the two best ways for people to protect themselves are to wear a mask and get vaccinated.

Officials with the Biden administration say they will have more data on Johnson & Johnson is a few weeks, but for now the third shot will only be offered to everyone who got Pfizer and Moderna.

In addition to the booster shots, the Biden administration announced it will require that nursing home staff be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for those facilities to continue receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funding.