A CDC Panel Recommends Pfizer-BioNTech Boosters For Many Americans, But Not Health Workers

A day after federal regulators authorized Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus booster shots for Americans at risk of severe COVID-19, scientific advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended the booster shots for a wide swath of the country, including tens of millions of older Americans and those with certain medical conditions. But the panel excluded those at risk because of their jobs.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized boosters for older and high-risk recipients of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months after their second injection, as well as for people whose jobs leave them exposed to the virus, including health workers, teachers and grocery workers.

The CDC’s science advisers unanimously supported the booster for adults older than 65 and for residents of long-term care facilities. And 13 of the committee’s 15 members also endorsed the shots for people ages 50 to 64 with medical conditions that leave them at risk for severe COVID-19.

Some members urged the committee to include some flexibility for individuals under 50 to obtain boosters, based on their individual benefit and risk. But others pointed — with considerable frustration — to a lack of data supporting the need in the other groups.

After a protracted discussion, a majority of the panel recommended the boosters for adults ages 18 to 49 with underlying medical conditions, based on their individual benefit and risk.

They disagreed most on whether some people in some occupations or settings are at heightened risk. By a close vote of 9-6, they voted to exclude people at risk because of their occupations. This measure would have applied to health care workers, teachers and other workers who do not meet the other criteria.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is approved for anyone over age 16, but the FDA’s authorization for the booster includes only those over age 18.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, is expected to endorse the recommendations of its scientific advisers Thursday or Friday, and people who meet the criteria could start getting the shots immediately afterward.

The number of Americans who will qualify includes only those who already received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The panel was not asked to judge whether people who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines should receive booster shots, which have not been authorized by the FDA.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .