CDC Backs 2nd Dose of Omicron Covid Boosters for Older Adults & Persons w Weakened Immune Systems

CDC signs off on 2nd dose of omicron Covid boosters for older adults, NBC News, April 19, 2023. Ed.

- People 65 & up can get another dose of an updated Covid vaccine at least 4 months after their first updated boosters. -

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday backed a second dose of the updated Covid boosters for older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The recommendation is in line with the stance of the Food and Drug Administration, which authorized the additional dose Tuesday.

Those 65 and older can get second doses of the updated versions of Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s Covid boosters at least 4 months after their last doses, the FDA said in a statement. Most people who are immunocompromised can get additional doses at least 2 months after their last doses, according to the agency.

The CDC's advisory panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, met earlier Wednesday to discuss the changes authorized by the FDA. The CDC signoff means shots could begin immediately. Following the FDA's decision, the CDC also recommended using the bivalent formula in all Covid vaccines moving forward, and it is doing away with the multidose primary series for people who haven’t yet been vaccinated. That means people who haven’t been vaccinated yet would need to get only single doses of the updated vaccines for the primary series.

The booster shots were reformulated in August to target the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants, in addition to the original strain of the coronavirus. BA.4 and BA.5 are no longer in circulation in the U.S. As of Saturday, roughly 78% of new U.S. Covid cases are caused by the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, according to the CDC. Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the Univ. of Toronto, said that while the boosters don’t match the currently circulating strain, they should still provide some protection. A CDC report published in January found that the updated Covid boosters reduced the risk of Covid infection from the XBB.1.5 subvariant by nearly half...More, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-authorizes-2nd-dose-updated-covid-booster-older-adults-rcna79568