CDC director approves Pfizer boosters, adds eligibility for high-risk workers

A key panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus booster shots for people 65 years old and older, as well as those at high risk of severe COVID-19.

Driving the news: But in an unusual move, CDC director Rochelle Walensky late Thursday overruled part of the advisory committee's decision and said that workers in high-risk jobs should also be eligible for booster shots.

Why it matters: The approval was a near-final step in making the booster shots available to tens of millions of Americans, and comes a day after the FDA approved Pfizer boosters for the two groups.

An FDA panel had also approved boosters for people ages 18 to 64 "whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure" puts them at high risk for contracting the virus. The CDC panel, however, voted down this recommendation.

The big picture: The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel was tasked with determining who should get a third dose, such as which jobs qualify as high risk, per the New York Times.