The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the third dose of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for seniors and high-risk individuals. This is the first booster in the vaccination efforts of the United States.

The decision comes a month after U.S. President Biden’s announced to make the booster shots available to the public at the beginning of September. At the time, the Biden administration was criticized by scientists and public health experts for pushing boosters before finding any clear evidence regarding their necessity and before either the CDC or FDA approved their use.

Federal officials had also informed the White House that they might need to modify the booster plan as the health agencies collected and assessed the data. Since the last few weeks, experts have contested whether third doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech as well as Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were necessary or not.

The data from the U.S. and Israel seem to indicate that protection against Coronavirus infection reduces over time, though there are various estimates around how much it declines.

However, FDA’s advisory committee on vaccination voted against recommending boosters for people aged 16 and older, mentioning limited evidence for boosters in younger age groups.

The committee recommended boosters to those who are above 65 or who might be at greater risk of serious COVID-19 infection. It also approved boosters for health care workers and people with risk of exposure at work.

The decision only includes the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine shots, and there are no revised guidelines for the Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccines as of now.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory committee is expected to meet this week and is likely to discuss whether to recommend the recently approved third shot. The committee would refine and pinpoint the groups that should qualify for the booster jabs under the FDA’s decision.

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https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/22/22679950/fda-covid-vaccine-booster-pfizer-older-adults