The study, which has not undergone peer review, examined the medical records of more than 500,000 people from January through February at Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest health-care provider.
Israeli scientists, in a study published last week, found the death rate from omicron was 78% lower in senior citizens 60- to 100-years-old who received a fourth Pfizer dose compared with those who received just three shots. "That gives me pause for concern that the boosters are not necessarily holding up as well as we'd like," said Hotez, who strongly supports a fourth dose based on Israeli data showing another booster increases protection for people older than 60. The CDC published a study in February that showed the effectiveness of the third dose against emergency room visits declined from 87% to 66% against emergency room visits, and from 91% to 78% against hospitalization at four months after receiving the shot. The effectiveness of the third dose against hospitalization from omicron has also declined over time, he said. However, Hotez said vaccine policy should also seek to prevent infection and long Covid. Peter Hotez, a vaccine expert at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said some scientists believe the only purpose of the shots is to keep people out of the hospital.
Another booster shot for young, healthy adults is more controversial, as they are less susceptible to severe illness from Covid.ĭr. There is broader agreement that the elderly or people with compromised immune systems may benefit from additional protection. Health experts disagree on whether a fourth vaccine dose is needed right now, though the debate is nuanced. The FDA has not called on the committee members to make a recommendation on booster shots since last fall when they voted in favor of a third Pfizer or Moderna dose for people age 65 and older and younger people at risk of severe Covid. Peter Marks, head of the FDA office responsible for vaccine safety and efficacy, said the drug regulator did not call an advisory meeting because the decision was "relatively straightforward." The vaccine experts are expected to hold a broad discussion about boosters and will not vote on a specific recommendation.ĭr. The FDA's advisory committee on vaccines is scheduled to meet on April 6 to discuss the future of booster shots in the U.S. The drug regulator's authorization comes just two weeks after Pfizer and Moderna asked the FDA to permit a second booster shot based on data from Israel. The FDA and CDC made the decision without calling meetings of their vaccine advisory committees, a rare move the agencies have made more frequently over the course of the pandemic to expand uses of already-approved Covid vaccines. Adults who received the J&J vaccine and a second shot of Pfizer or Moderna are not yet eligible for a third dose, unless they are age 50 and older or have compromised immune systems.Īll of the new boosters are to be administered at least four months after the last shot. The CDC also recommended that all adults who received two doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine get third shots using Pfizer or Moderna. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quickly signed off on the decision, paving the way for those eligible to get a new round of boosters.
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