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On Friday and Saturday, U.S. health experts took to social media and other platforms to applaud the likelihood that federal regulators could soon make Pfizer-BioNTech booster injections available to people 65 and older or at high risk of severe Covid-19, although some have argued that the age limit should be lower.
Experts reacted to the actions of a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Friday. This expert group’s recommendation to allow recalls was associated with its rejection of the adoption of a general authorization for all persons 16 years of age and over.
The only Covid-19 vaccine for which the FDA has enough information to determine the effectiveness of a booster is the one manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech. The schedule for the other two vaccines used in the United States, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, is murky.
But Dr Jha also noted in a separate tweet that boosters would benefit those aged 60 and over.
Dr Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research in La Jolla, Calif., Called the FDA panel’s decision “a very good result.” The decision, he wrote on Twitter, recognized “the need for individuals at high risk, due to coexisting conditions or occupational exposures, such as healthcare workers, essential workers and teachers.”
However, Dr Topol also questioned why the threshold for eligibility for the third shot was set at 65?, rather than including people 60 years of age or older. He also said the updated FDA advisory “did not address the vulnerability of people who have received J&J injections.”
Dr Paul Offit, vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said The Associated Press that he supported a third dose for the elderly but that “I really have a hard time accepting the idea of giving the vaccine to anyone near the age of 16.” “The question is, what impact will this have on the arc of the pandemic, which may not be that much,” said Dr Offit.
To some Americans outside of medical or scientific fields, the recommendations of the FDA panel seemed opaque or even contradictory.
For example, Jen Macy, floral designer for weddings and events in Orange County, California, tweeted and also spoke to a Times reporter about what she saw as an urgent matter: “Can you explain why boosters are recommended for people at high risk but the general population has to wait for further testing?” It does not mean anything.”
Michael Knowles, a well-followed conservative media figure on social media and via The Daily Wire, a site that posts comments and podcasts, has made a comedic dig into the actions of the FDA panel. “The vaccines are so effective you need a booster and so safe the FDA will not approve the booster,” he wrote on Twitter. “Do I have the right? “
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