FDA greenlights Pfizer booster shot for certain groups
The Food and Drug Administration this week amended Pfizer’s emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine to allow for an additional booster dose for certain individuals. FDA will authorize a booster shot to be administered six months following a completed two-dose regiment for individuals 65 years of age and older; individuals in the 18-64 age range who are at high risk of severe COVID-19; and individuals in the 18-64 age range whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 puts them at high risk of serious complications of COVID-19, including severe disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) this week voted unanimously to recommend boosters for the 65-and-older age group and people in long-term care facilities. The ACIP also fully recommended giving a single booster dose to people between the ages of 50 and 64 with certain high risk conditions.(AHA News article, 9/23/21)