The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 9 to 6 Thursday to allow younger adults to get a Covid-19 vaccine dose if they have underlying health conditions.
The vote was on this question: “A single Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine booster dose is recommended for persons based on individual benefit and risk who are aged 18-49 years with underlying medical conditions, at least 6 months after the primary series, under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization.”
Moments earlier, ACIP voted to recommend boosters to people 65 and older and to people 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions. That was short of the FDA’s emergency use authorization, which OK’d giving boosters to anyone 18 and older at high risk of severe disease from breakthrough infections. ACIP instead limited its recommendation to people over 50 with such conditions after members expressed doubts about recommending boosters too broadly.
So staff added a third question that would allow a younger group to access boosters. Members were less enthusiastic about this option.
Now they are voting on recommending boosters for people who are at high risk of infection because of occupation.