Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations (EUA) for both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines authorizing use of a single booster dose for all individuals 18 years of age and older after completion of primary vaccination with any FDA-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet later today to discuss further clinical recommendations.

Moderna COVID-19 booster may protect against variants

At a Glance A booster of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine increased levels of neutralizing antibodies against all variants of concern in a primate study. The findings suggest that COVID-19 boosters not only lengthen immunity but help broaden and strengthen the immune response.

DC Recommends Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine for Children 5 to 11 Years

Today, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. CDC now expands vaccine recommendations to about 28 million children in the United States in this age group and allows providers to begin vaccinating them as soon as possible.

Breakthrough Infections Occur in Those with Lower Antibody Levels, Israeli Study Shows

To see how COVID-19 vaccines are working in the real world, Israel has provided particularly compelling data. The fact that Israel is relatively small, keeps comprehensive medical records, and has a high vaccination rate with a single vaccine (Pfizer) has contributed to its robust data collection. Now, a new Israeli study offers some insight into those relatively uncommon breakthrough infections. It confirms that breakthrough cases, as might be expected, arise most often in individuals with lower levels of neutralizing antibodies.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Takes Additional Actions on the Use of a Booster Dose for COVID-19 Vaccines

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took action to expand the use of a booster dose for COVID-19 vaccines in eligible populations. The agency is amending the emergency use authorizations (EUA) for COVID-19 vaccines to allow for the use of a single booster dose as follows: The use of a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine that may be administered at least 6 months after completion of the primary series to individuals: 65 years of age and older 18 through 64 years of age at high risk of severe COVID-19 18 through 64 years of age with frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2