Headline RoundupNovember 9th, 2021

Pfizer Asks FDA to Authorize COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots for All Adults

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced Tuesday that it's asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for all Americans ages 18 and up.

An FDA advisory panel rejected a similar request from the company in September, and a third dose of the company's vaccine was authorized only for certain adults by federal regulators soon after. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech say the booster shot is over 95% effective against infection. The FDA will consider the request, but it’s not clear if an advisory panel will debate it as well. Booster shots are currently authorized for people who are 65 and older, who have underlying conditions, or who work jobs that put them at higher risk for COVID-19.

The news was covered similarly across the spectrum. Left- and center-rated outlets featured their coverage of it more prominently on their sites and across social media. Right-rated sources typically focused more on the FDA panel's prior rejection of the request and advisors who were skeptical of the need for all adults to get boosters.

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