FDA expected to OK Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shots for all adults
The Food and Drug Administration is reportedly expected to approve Pfizer's COVID-19 booster shots for all American adults as early as Nov. 18, according to The New York Times.
The FDA is expected to make its decision without the input of its own expert panel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent panel of vaccine experts plans to meet on Nov. 20 to discuss the safety and efficacy of the booster dose.
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If both agencies give Pfizer their blessing, it will come just a little more than a week after the company first applied for emergency authorization. Approval would mean that any adult who received a second dose of the vaccine at least six months earlier would be able to get a booster as soon as the weekend of Nov. 21.
It's expected that Moderna will soon also ask the FDA to expand eligibility for its COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, the Times reported.
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Some states already have made the decision to expand access to boosters, including Arkansas, California, New Mexico and Colorado. New York City health officials encouraged adults who want boosters to get them.