After voting 16-2 to not recommend Covid-19 booster shots for those Americans 16 and older, the FDA advisory panel has voted to recommend the boosters for those who are 65 or older, and those who are at risk for severe effects of Covid-19.
Earlier in the meeting, the FDA panel had voted 16-2 against the booster for most Americans.
The meeting participants today went through a 23-page FDA presentation where there was a lot of support for a booster shot, but panelist did not agree with some of the presentation conclusions, and said more data is needed before it can recommend the third shot.
The FDA does not need to heed the advice of the panel, however, but so far it has followed this group’s advice concerning vaccines.
“In particular, there is a lack of data on effectiveness and duration,” said Dr. Michael Carome, who serves on the panel and is the director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. “Current evidence does not appear to show a need for boosting.”
The advisory panel said that the two initial doses of the Pfizer shot is highly effective against the Delta variant of Covid-19, and said boosters are not needed at this time.
Later, they said that they would be advisable for the older and sicker Americans.
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