CDC Advisory Committee Recommends COVID-19 Booster Shots

The CDC is recommending that certain groups in the U.S. get the COVID-19 booster shot.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted that the booster doses for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shot can be given to citizens who meet specific criteria. This includes people 65 and older, long-term care facility residents, and people in age groups 18 to 49 and 50 to 64 who have pre-existing health conditions that place them at greater risk for severe effects if they contract the virus.

The vote by the committee comes less than 24 hours after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved third Pfizer dosages for these age groups.

Surprisingly, the committee voted against recommending the booster shot for those at risk due to their work settings. This includes grocery store workers, educators, healthcare workers, homeless shelter staff, and prison employees.

Booster shots serve as an added shield for those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. This extra dose is given to someone who developed enough protection following immunization but then saw that protection decrease over time, a condition known as waning immunity.

As of Friday, at least 2.3 million Americans had received booster shots.