The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers approving COVID-19 vaccination booster injections for certain immunocompromised individuals.
Moderna and Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccines Might Get EAU for Third Shot
In a recently published article in CBS News, on Thursday, the FDA plans to modify the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorization orders to enable the third dosage for some immunocompromised individuals who may not have received sufficient protection from only two doses.
FDA spokesperson told a news outlet that data from trials giving an extra dosage of the approved COVID-19 vaccinations to immunocompromised people are being carefully monitored by the FDA. Additionally, the U.S. FDA is examining possible solutions to this problem, together with the CDC, and will provide information in the near future.
The FDA must provide permission for the vaccinations to be used in new ways not previously permitted. The FDA has granted emergency use permission to all three COVID-19 vaccines now in use in the United States although complete approval for Pfizer's vaccine is still pending, according to CNN News.
Anthony Fauci Stressed the Importance of Third Shot
A small percentage of people in the United States, fewer than 3 percent, is thought to have weakened immune systems, requiring extra doses of other vaccinations to provide adequate protection against viruses, according to a published article in MSN News.
Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president's chief medical adviser, said he thinks that certain immunocompromised individuals should receive a booster shot as soon as possible. When it comes to immune-impaired individuals, he says that those with cancer, those on chemotherapy for a variety of illnesses and those who have immunological depression of some kind generally never had a strong immune response.
According to a meeting schedule issued by the CDC on Monday, vaccine experts will meet on Friday to consider booster doses of COVID-19 vaccinations and extra doses for certain immunocompromised individuals.
Experts' Views on Booster Shots
Furthermore, a number of pharmaceutical firms and academic institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, are also doing studies on third dosages in immunocompromised individuals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently admitted that some Americans have resorted to searching out extra dosages before federal officials approved it.
In a published article in WTOP News, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers found out that immunocompromised individuals who have been vaccinated are 485 times more likely to end up in the hospital or die from COVID-19 than the general population.
According to the CDC, about 9 million Americans are immunocompromised, either as a result of illnesses or the medicines they take. For months, it has been recognized that COVID-19 vaccinations may not be effective in this population. The aim was that the overall vaccination rates would be so high that they would be protected by the "herd."
Needless to say, the Biden administration is likely to announce a COVID-19 vaccination booster plan for all Americans who have been vaccinated in September. Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, said Wednesday that the government is currently evaluating who needs boosters the most and when, and that details on the agency's measures to safeguard immunocompromised individuals from COVID-19 would be released "very soon."
