By a vote of 16-2, the FDA advisory committee rejected request to add a third dose for the public, saying they still need more data for approval.
The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) held an eight hour long meeting in which they discussed Pfizer-BioNTech supplemental Biologics License Application for COMIRNATY for administration of a third dose, or “booster” dose, of the COVID-19 vaccine, in those 16 years and older.
By a vote of 16-2, the FDA advisory committee rejected the request to add a third dose for the general public, saying they still need more data for approval. However, in an 18-0 vote, they endorsed the extra shots for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe diseases.
WATCH LIVE: The VRBPAC meeting is underway. Today’s topic is the Pfizer-BioNTech supplemental Biologics License Application for COMIRNATY for administration of a third dose, or “booster” dose, of the COVID-19 vaccine, in those 16 years and older. https://t.co/4l074Nm7Ic
— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) September 17, 2021
“It’s unclear that everyone needs to be boosted, other than a subset of the population that clearly would be at high risk for serious disease,” said Dr. Michael G. Kurilla, a committee member and official at the National Institutes of Health.
A CDC advisory committee will meet to discuss boosters next week, “after which the CDC will make their final recommendation,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said at a briefing on Friday.
In late August, the Food and Drug Administration officially gave approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Before this, it had been in use through emergency approval since December of 2020. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the first and only COVID-19 vaccine to receive full approval from the FDA.
The Mississippi Department of Health announced that Mississippians with qualifying health conditions can now schedule a third COVID-19 vaccination directly from county health departments. Today the MSDH is reporting 2,321 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 49 deaths, and 108 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities.
You can now schedule a third COVID-19 vaccination directly from county health departments if you have a qualifying health condition. An extra vaccine dose can improve your protection against COVID-19. For details, visit https://t.co/6i0esbDvHS pic.twitter.com/cC4teYzusz
— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) September 17, 2021
