U.S. sets the stage for COVID booster shots for millions
The U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19 stood on the verge of a major new phase as government advisors Thursday recommended booster doses of Pfizer’s vaccine for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans — despite doubts the extra shots will do much to slow the pandemic.
But the advisors refused to go further and open boosters to otherwise healthy front-line healthcare workers who aren’t at risk of severe illness but want to avoid even a mild infection.“We might as well just say give it to everyone 18 and older,” said Dr. Pablo Sanchez of Ohio State University, who helped block the broadest booster option. “We have a very effective vaccine and it’s like saying, ‘It’s not working.’ It is working.
“We can give boosters to people, but that’s not really the answer to this pandemic,” said Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University. “Hospitals are full because people are not vaccinated. We are declining care to people who deserve care because we are full of unvaccinated COVID-positive patients.”, announced last month, to dispense boosters to nearly everyone to shore up their protection.
The CDC panel stressed its recommendations will be changed if new evidence shows more people need a booster.The CDC advisors expressed concern over the millions more Americans who received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shots early in the vaccine rollout. The government still hasn’t considered boosters for those brands and has no data on whether it’s safe or effective to mix-and-match and give those people a Pfizer shot.
CDC data shows the vaccines still offer strong protection for all ages, but there is a slight drop among the oldest adults. And immunity against milder infection appears to be waning months after people’s initial immunization.For most people, if you’re not in a group recommended for a booster, “it’s really because we think you’re well-protected,” said Dr. Matthew Daley of Kaiser Permanente Colorado. “This isn’t about who deserves a booster, but who needs a booster.
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