With CDC Stamp, Pfizer Boosters Now Available To Millions Of Americans
In the final stage of the regulatory process, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed off on third doses for frontline and high-risk workers. That decision was unusual as it aligned with FDA approval criteria but overruled the guidance reached by a CDC advisory panel yesterday. The Pfizer covid vaccine booster is also available for anyone 65 or older starting Friday.
The New York Times:
C.D.C. Chief Overrules Agency Panel And Endorses Pfizer Boosters For Frontline Workers
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday overruled a recommendation by an agency advisory panel that had refused to endorse booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine for frontline workers. It was a highly unusual move for the director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, but aligned C.D.C. policy with the Food and Drug Administration’s endorsements over her own agency’s advisers. The C.D.C.’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Thursday recommended the boosters for a wide range of Americans, including tens of millions of older adults, and younger people at high risk for the disease. But they excluded health care workers, teachers and others whose jobs put them at risk. That put their recommendations at odds with the F.D.A.’s authorization of booster shots for all adults with a high occupational risk. (Mandavilli and Mueller, 9/24)
The Washington Post:
Pfizer Booster Now Available To Older Americans And Those At Higher-Risk, Including On The Job, As CDC Chief Partly Overrules Panel
The recommendations of the panel are not binding, but it is rare for a director to overrule the committee. Walensky endorsed the other recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, making them official and paving the way for tens of millions of adults to get a third Pfizer shot six months after completing the original two-shot regimen. With the CDC approval, the shots are expected to be available immediately at locations where the Pfizer vaccine is already being administered, including pharmacies, health departments, clinics and some doctor’s offices. (Sun and McGinley, 9/24)
Reuters:
CDC Director Breaks With Panel, Backs COVID-19 Boosters For High-Risk Workers
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said her agency had to make recommendations based on complex, often imperfect data. "In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good," she said in a statement. ... The CDC recommendation follows U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization and clears the way for a booster rollout to begin as soon as this week for millions of people who had their second dose of the Pfizer shot at least six months ago. (Erman and Maddipatla, 9/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
CDC Panel Recommends Pfizer Covid-19 Boosters For Seniors, Certain Adults With Underlying Medical Conditions
The boosters should be given to people who got the vaccine from Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE at least six months after their second dose. The committee didn’t vote on mixing and matching vaccines. Those who qualify for boosters will have to attest to their eligibility but won’t have to provide additional documentation, CDC officials said. (Schwartz, 9/23)
Also —
CNN:
Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters Can Begin For Some US Adults As CDC Partially Diverges From Its Advisers' Recommendations
Following days of lengthy debate among vaccine experts, booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can now be officially administered to some adults in the United States. Early Friday morning, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky diverged from the agency's independent vaccine advisers to recommend boosters for a broader group of people -- those ages 18 to 64 who are at increased risk of Covid-19 because of their workplaces or institutional settings -- in addition to older adults, long-term care facility residents and some people with underlying health conditions. (Gumbrecht, 9/24)
AP:
Lamont: Pfizer Booster Shots Ready For 270,000 Over 65 Years
An estimated 270,000 Connecticut residents who are 65 years and older and who originally received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, including nursing home residents, can begin getting their third booster shot as soon as Friday, Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration said Thursday. Residents ages 50 to 64 with risky underlying health conditions and who received the Pfizer vaccine will also be allowed to obtain a third dose at more than 800 locations across the state. They can be found online. (Haigh, 9/23)
AP:
California Making Plans To Give COVID-19 Boosters
California is preparing to administer third “booster” vaccine shots against COVID-19 for older people and immunocompromised adults as well as initial shots for students under 12 once the federal government approves them for children. On Thursday, state officials released a vaccine action plan. It still depends on direction that is expected to come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (9/23)
