FDA and CDC approve additional COVID booster for 50 and up [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The US FDA and CDC have authorized the fourth Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccine doses for people aged 50 and older.
• The FDA also approved a fifth dose for younger people with compromised immune systems. 
• Despite no input from its independent panel of experts, the FDA gave the fourth dose a go signal.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized an additional COVID-19 booster for people aged 50 and older.

The fourth shots are to be administered at least four months after the last shot.

The FDA had previously approved fourth doses only for people 12 and older who have compromised immune systems. It added that this fragile group can also get an additional booster — a fifth dose.

The CDC is still weighing in on whether any eligible American should get it, regardless of their health.

COVID-19 cases have dropped to low levels since the pandemic started in 2020. CDC data show two vaccine doses plus a booster still offer strong protection against severe disease and death.

However,  omicron BA.2 is causing an increase in infections in Europe, some parts of Asia, and the U.S. Roughly two-thirds of Americans are fully vaccinated, and 50% of those eligible for a first booster haven’t gotten one.

There’s not enough proof of what a second booster could offer right now. FDA gave the go signal without input from its independent panel of experts.

According to University of Pennsylvania immunologist E. John Wherry, “There might be a reason to top off the tanks a little bit” for older people and those with other health conditions. , said who wasn’t involved in the government’s decision.

Wherry, who wasn’t involved in the regulator’s decision, said he encourages older friends and relatives to follow the new advice. Though he is 50, the doctor doesn’t plan on getting a fourth dose right away.

Wherry said he is healthy, vaccinated and boosted. So, while he’s still strongly protected against severe illness, he’s “going to wait until it seems like there’s a need.”

Another important question is: How long any extra benefit from an additional booster would last, and thus when to get it.

“The ‘when’ is a really difficult part. Ideally we would time booster doses right before surges but we don’t always know when that’s going to be,” said Dr. William Moss of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Plus, a longer interval between shots helps the immune system mount a stronger, more cross-reactive defense.

“If you get a booster too close together, it’s not doing any harm — you’re just not going to get much benefit from it,” said Wherry.

The new booster expansion may not be the last. The government will hold a public meeting next week to discuss if all Americans eventually need a fourth shot, possibly in the fall.

Source: AOL