COVID-19 Booster Shots to Begin Soon for Certain Adults After CDC Recommendation

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot Thursday for people ages 65 and older, as well as adults at high risk of severe COVID-19. Walensky's nod followed a similar recommendation from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel; the panel's 15 advisers unanimously supported the shots for ages 65+, and voted 13-2 to endorse giving Pfizer's booster to people ages 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions. Advisers voted 9-6 against endorsing the booster for ages 18-49, with the majority citing concerns about the lack of evidence supporting the recommendation. But Walensky disagreed, and officially recommended the shot for high-risk workers in that age group. Tens of million Americans may be eligible for the shots; roughly 55% of Americans are fully vaccinated.

Coverage on all sides highlighted how the recommendations are a much narrower version of the Biden administration's original plan to get booster shots to anyone who wanted them by Sept. 20. Some reports from left-rated sources cast doubt on the extra shots' ability to curb the pandemic, and highlighted calls for the U.S. to focus on distributing vaccines to underdeveloped countries before offering booster shots to all Americans. Some coverage from right-rated outlets highlighted the panel's emphasis on the lack of evidence for giving booster shots to people ages 18-49, and framed Walensky's decision to disagree with the CDC panel as unusual and misinformed. Updated 9/24/21 at 8:28 a.m. ET with Walensky's recommendation.