CDC Chief Clears Boosters for Millions in U.S., Overrules Panel
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopted the use of booster shots in the U.S. for people at high risk of contracting or falling seriously ill from Covid-19, overruling a narrower recommendation from the agency’s advisers and clearing the way for a widespread vaccination campaign.
Millions of Americans who were immunized with the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine at least six months ago should receive a booster dose, including those aged 65 or older, those in long-term health care facilities and those aged 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions, the agency said in a statement. People aged 18 to 49 with medical conditions and those who are at high-risk for being exposed to the virus at their workplaces or elsewhere may also receive a third dose.
The endorsement from CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will allow shots to be given immediately. She said the decision, which aligns with the Food and Drug Administration rather than an expert team of reviewers at the CDC, was based on imperfect data and designed to protect those at highest risk as the delta variant continues to spread in the U.S.
“In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good,” Walensky said in the statement. “I believe we can best serve the nation’s public health needs by providing booster doses for the elderly, those in long-term care facilities, people with underlying medical conditions, and for adults at high risk of disease from occupational and institutional exposures to Covid-19.”
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"The CDC’sAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices earlier on Thursday recommended the shots only for people most vulnerable to severe disease. It voted against an extra dose for people whose work exposes them to the virus. The put them at odds with the FDA, which issued an emergency authorization of boosters for the broader group of recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
Boosters are becoming more widely available at a crucial time, as the U.S. fights a surge of infections driven by the highly contagious delta variant of Covid. While the unvaccinated account for the vast majority of the most seriously ill in the current outbreak, breakthrough infections among the vaccinated have fueled concerns that the shots’ efficacy may wane over time.
Some of the CDC advisers rejected the idea of giving workers and people in other risky settings ages 18 to 64 access to booster shots in part because of the message it might send. The rift reflects an unresolved divide in the wider scientific community over whether boosters are needed, or when they might be most usefully deployed."
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/pharma-and-life-sciences/pfizer-boosters-weighed-by-cdc-after-fda-approval-for-seniors
I think Rochelle Walensky is correct in taking the FDA advisors recommendations over her own CDC advisors.
With the breakthrough infections, going into the winter months, along with evidence of waning protection, even with incomplete data, I think including front line workers who deal with the public is the prudent thing to do. Do they not remember that it was those front line workers in nursing homes, who contributed to spreading the disease in convalescent homes?
= new reply since forum marked as read
for Director Walensky. Good call.
