WASHINGTON- An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday unanimously recommended the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older, an important step that could help accelerate vaccine mandates in the United States.
The Food and Drug Administration last week granted full approval to the vaccine that was previously available under the agency's emergency use authorization (EUA), which had allowed the shots to be rolled out rapidly to Americans.
Health officials hope the formal approval and CDC recommendation will spur more Americans to get vaccinated. With full FDA approval, some companies and states have begun mandating COVID-19 vaccination.
Vaccination rates remain low in many parts of the United States, contributing to a big surge in hospitalizations due to the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. Some panel members said increasing vaccinations before the fall season was critical to getting children back to schools safely.
"Everyone who has anything to do with a child that is not old enough to be vaccinated yet should be vaccinated for the benefit of their children," said Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot, an infectious disease specialist who was part of the panel.
Regulators have authorized a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for those with weak immune systems, and the U.S. government has said it plans to make booster doses available to more Americans in September. The CDC advisers are considering an approach to boosters that would focus on preventing severe disease among those most at risk - residents in long-term care facilities, other older adults and healthcare workers - much like the original vaccine rollout.
