The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for this age group and for some younger people with severely weakened immune systems. Hours later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the extra shot as an option, but stopped urging those eligible to rush out and do so immediately. This decision extends the additional aid to millions more Americans. “Anyone eligible for a first boost that they have not yet received should do so,” said FDA chief vaccine Dr. Peter Marks. But the second booster is only for those at higher risk, because there are signs of protection and the FDA has decided “it will help save lives and prevent serious consequences”. The move comes at a time of great uncertainty. COVID-19 cases have dropped to low levels following the winter wave of the omicron superconducting variant. Two doses of vaccine plus a booster still provide strong protection against serious illness and death, according to the CDC. “And the reason for this is because we knew we had talked about it in the past, the effectiveness tends to decrease in four or five months,” said ABC News correspondent Dr. Jen Ashton. But a micronutrient variable causes a worrying leap in infections in Europe – and is spreading to the US – even when vaccination has stopped. About two-thirds of Americans are fully vaccinated and half of those eligible for a first souvenir have not been vaccinated. “It’s starting to explode in many parts of the country, so it makes sense that a lot of people might want to boost their immunity as we potentially lead a surge,” said Dr. John Brownstein of Boston Children’s Hospital. Pfizer had asked the FDA to make a fourth installment for people 65 and older, while Moderna asked for another installment for all adults “to give flexibility” to the government to decide who really needs it. FDA Marks said regulators set the age at 50 because then chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes become more common, increasing the risks of COVID-19. Until now, the FDA had only allowed a fourth dose of the vaccine for immunosuppressed people from the age of 12. Tuesday’s decision also allows them another reminder – a fifth installment. Marks said these patients are more likely to see their immune protection diminish earlier and therefore may benefit more from the extra protection. Only the Pfizer vaccine can be used in people up to 12 years of age. Moderna’s is for adults. There is limited evidence to suggest how much benefit another amplifier might offer at this time. The FDA made the decision without the input of its independent panel of experts who have struggled with how much data is needed to extend the shots. “There may be a reason to fill the tanks a little” for the elderly and those suffering from other conditions, “said E. John Wherry, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania, who did not comment on the government’s decision. But while encouraging older friends and relatives to follow the advice, 50-year-old Wherry – who is healthy, vaccinated and fortified – does not intend to get a fourth vaccine right away. With protection against serious illnesses still strong, “I will wait until there is a need.” None of the COVID-19 vaccines are as potent against the mutant micron as they were against previous versions of the virus. Also, protection against milder infections naturally decreases over time. But the immune system builds multiple layers of defense and the formula that prevents serious illness and death endures. During the U.S. micron wave, two doses were nearly 80% effective against ventilator need or death – and one booster boosted that protection to 94%, the CDC recently reported. The effectiveness of the vaccine was lower – 74% – in immunocompromised individuals, the vast majority of whom had not received a third dose. U.S. health officials also looked at Israel, which during the micron surge opened a fourth dose to people 60 and older, at least four months after their last shot. The FDA said no new safety concerns were raised in the review of the 700,000 fourth installments. Preliminary data posted online last week suggest some benefit: Israeli researchers counted 92 deaths among more than 328,000 people receiving the additional vaccine, compared with 232 deaths among the 234,000 who missed the fourth dose. What is not at all clear is how long any additional benefit from another amplifier will last and, therefore, when you will get it. “The ‘when’ is a really difficult part. Ideally, we would take the booster time just before the surges, but we do not always know when this will happen,” said Dr William Moss, a vaccine specialist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg. School. Public Health. In addition, a longer interval between shots helps the immune system develop a stronger, more cross-defense. “If you get a souvenir very close to each other, it does not hurt – you just are not going to benefit much from it,” Wherry said. The latest boost may not be the last: Next week, the government will hold a public meeting to discuss whether everyone eventually needs a fourth dose, possibly in the fall, of the initial vaccine or an updated dose. Even if the Americans at higher risk are stepping up now, Marks said another dose may be needed in the fall if regulators decide to modify the vaccine. For this effort, studies are underway in individuals – for small-scale shooting alone or in combination with the original vaccine. The National Institutes of Health recently examined monkeys and found “no significant advantage” in using a micron-only amplifier. Copyright © 2022 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.
