Who Will Be Eligible for COVID Booster Shots and When After CDC Announcement?

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel endorsed extra doses of all three of the nation’s vaccines Thursday, setting the course for millions of more Americans to potentially receive a COVID-19 booster shot. The agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended the Moderna booster for elderly people and at-risk adults six months after they complete their primary series of shots, bringing it in line with the distribution plan for Pfizer and BioNTech’s booster.  The panel didn’t specify which vaccine should be used as a booster, leaving it up to doctors to decide whether to mix and match doses to provide the best protection for patients. covid-19 vaccine 7 hours ago CDC Panel Endorses Moderna, J&J Boosters, ‘Mix-and-Match' Strategy covid booster shot 7 hours ago FDA OKs Mixing COVID Vaccines for Booster Shots, But Should You Do It? coronavirus vaccine 17 hours ago US Marks 200M COVID-19 Shots Shared With World Thursday’s endorsement follows a recommendation by the Food and Drug and Administration, which on Wednesday signed off on extending COVID-19 boosters to Americans who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The CDC panel’s recommendations now head to the director. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, for final approval. While booster shots are already advised for some individuals, who would the new recommendations cover? And when could shots starts being given? Here’s what you need to know: Expanded Booster Shots: Would Be Eligible and When Specifically, the FDA authorized a third Moderna shot for seniors and others at high risk from COVID-19 because of their health problems, jobs or living conditions — six months after their last shot. More than 39 million Moderna recipients and nearly 13 million J&J recipients may be eligible for a booster dose as early as Friday, according to a slide presented by the CDC during Thursday’s meeting. Moderna’s booster will be half the dose that’s used for the first two shots, based on company data showing that was plenty to rev up immunity again. For J&J’s single-shot vaccine, the FDA said all U.S. recipients, no matter their age, could get a second dose at least two months following their initial vaccination. The FDA rulings differ because the vaccines are made differently, with different dosing schedules — and the J&J vaccine has consistently shown a lower level of effectiveness than either of the two-shot Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Who is Already Eligible for a COVID Booster Shot? Here’s a complete breakdown of who is eligible so far, according to the CDC: People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine atleast 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks, andPeople aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks. What About Those Who Still Wouldn’t Be Eligible? At Thursday’s meeting, CDC’s advisers wrestled with whether people who didn’t really need boosters might be getting them, especially young, otherwise healthy adults whose only qualification was their job. Dr. Sarah Long of Drexel University voiced concerns about opening those people to rare but serious side effects from another dose if they already were adequately protected. “I have my own concerns that we appear to be recommending vaccines for people who I don’t think need it,” added Dr. Beth Bell of the University of Washington. But she stressed that the vaccines work and that moving forward with the recommendations makes sense for the sake of being clear and allowing flexibility when it comes to boosters. Despite the concerns by some members, the panels’ votes ended up being unanimous.

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