Pfizer asks FDA to authorize booster shot for all adults

Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday said they had asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize booster shots of their COVID-19 vaccine for all adults 18 and over, seeking to broaden who is eligible for a third shot.

The move comes as part of a long-running debate among experts over who should be eligible for booster shots. An FDA advisory panel voted against a request for all adults to have a booster in September, in what was a blow to the Biden administration's earlier announcement of widespread shots.

But the eligibility has been gradually widening as experts point to concerns that the vaccines' efficacy wanes over time.

Booster shots are currently authorized for people 65 and older, as well as those with underlying conditions or who have jobs that put them at higher risk for COVID-19.

Those categories are already broad and have led to some confusion about who is eligible; a recommendation for all adults would be simpler.