The US is another step closer to offering Pfizer COVID-19 boosters. Both senior citizens and others who are at high risk from the virus will be eligible. Read to know all about this monumental feat towards normalcy.
Who is eligible for the Pfizer COVID-19 boosters?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday authorized booster doses for all Americans over the age of 65. The booster dose will also be available to adults younger than 65 who suffer from underlying health conditions. And those in jobs that put them at higher risk for coronavirus. Hence, health care workers, grocery store workers, teachers and, those in prisons and shelters are eligible for the booster. Overall, the FDA’s new rule is a scaled-down version of President Biden’s plan. Biden’s plan was to give all American citizens a booster dose.
Experts and advisers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a two-day-long meeting to make specific calls on who should get the shots and when they should. Initially, some experts were uncertain by the questions around the rationale for COVID-19 boosters. After all, boosters are more complicated than the plan rolled out at the White House in August.
How will this change things?
The FDA initially rejected President Biden’s ‘boosters for all’ plan. The FDA panel recommended an alternative where only the most vulnerable members of the population receive the booster shot. “As we learn more about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including the use of a booster dose, we will continue to evaluate the rapidly changing science and keep the public informed,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting commissioner of the FDA.
As per the FDA authorization, fully vaccinated Americans can receive the third dose after 6 months of receiving their second Pfizer vaccine. It is slightly different from the President’s plan that recommended vaccines after eight months of the second dose. However, it is recommended for those who received other vaccines not to take the Pfizer COVID-19 boosters. “Today’s FDA decision is a major step forward in our effort to provide Americans with additional protection from COVID-19. We have been preparing for weeks to administer booster shots to eligible Americans and are ready to do so following CDC’s final recommendation later this week,” stated Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary.
The booster shot is a marvelous idea to further protect oneself but, global advocates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations are against it. This is because wealthy countries offering a third shot of the vaccine are partial when third-world countries are struggling to get even the first dose. So far about 180 million Americans are fully immunized.