The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday endorsed booster shots for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans, opening a major new phase in the U.S vaccination drive against COVID-19.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off late Thursday on a series of recommendations that a panel of advisers made earlier in the day. The advisers said boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 50 to 64 who have risky underlying health problems. The extra dose would be given once they are at least six months past their last Pfizer shot.
Updated guidance posted on the CDC’s website outlines the recommendations; in each case, the Pfizer booster shots would be given at least six months after a person’s second dose:
- People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster.
- People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster.
