An advisory council with the Centers for Disease Control is recommending those who are immunocompromised can safely receive a third dose of a COVID vaccine. This news came less than a day after The Food and Drug Administration approved the third dose. NPR reports:
Late Thursday night, the FDA amended the emergency use authorizations for both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to allow for an additional dose for certain immunocompromised people, specifically, solid organ transplant recipients or those who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise. The CDC estimates the population to be less than 3% of adults.
The Hill adds:
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously 11-0to endorse giving third doses of mRNA vaccines to people with moderately to severely weakened immune systems.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to quickly give final approval within hours, paving the way for millions of immunocompromised people to get a third shot of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines as soon as this weekend.
While the number of recipients will initially be limited, this move could start a new wave of boosters for other health conditions and age groups. The nation’s top infectious specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci says while it doesn’t appear everyone needs a booster yet, “It’s likely that that will happen at some time in the future.” He says the information is being followed in real-time and recommendations could change at any time.
The New York Times reports:
The authorization of the third doses kicks off what promises to be a busy next stretch for federal vaccine regulators — and a new phase of the nation’s inoculation drive. By the start of next month, the agency is expected to grant full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine. That will most likely prompt a wave of vaccination mandates from companies and organizations that waited to require vaccination until the F.D.A. fully cleared a vaccine.