FDA To Authorize
Vaccine Booster Shots, for Those With Weak Immune Systems.
Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for a third COVID-19 vaccine
shot could happen as soon as Aug. 12.
The emergency expansion applies to both two-dose vaccines administered in the U.S., .
Pfizer and Moderna.
The focus of the decision is for those who
have received organ transplants, .
though the authorization applies to anyone diagnosed with a weakened immune system.
An estimated three percent of Americans
live with the condition.
The Biden administration has prioritized
booster shots for vulnerable Americans.
Once approved by the FDA,
a Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) advisory
committee will then
consider its efficacy.
The CDC committee is scheduled
to meet on Aug. 13.
Typically, doctors wait for CDC endorsement
before they act on FDA approval.
Booster shots have already been administered to vulnerable citizens of several European nations.
In addition to the decision about third shots
of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
the FDA is likely to fully approve the
Pfizer vaccine sometime in September.
Guidance for vulnerable Americans who received the single
Johnson & Johnson vaccine dose has yet to be released