The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the recommendation by its experts, that the booster dose will be given at this stage only to people who are at high risk of contracting the virus, six months after receiving the second dose of vaccine. The administration is expected to convene and discuss expanding the approval in the future. Pfizer CEO: "This is a critical milestone"
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last night (Thursday) approved its experts' recommendation that the third dose, the "booster" against the coronavirus, be given at this stage only to people 65 and older and at-risk groups, such as people with serious illnesses and people at work. . The decision of the administration is subject to the approval of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is expected to vote on the issue today.
According to the FDA decision, the third dose will be given to populations determined only six months after receiving the second dose. Among the populations eligible for the booster dose will include health teams, teachers and daycare workers, grocery workers, prisoners, and wardens.
"The first FDA approval for the booster dose is a critical milestone in the ongoing fight against the plague," said Pfizer CEO Albert Burla.
The administration is expected to convene and discuss expanding the approval in the future. Meanwhile, his friends disagree about the need for the third vaccine. Last week, FDA experts discussed their recommendation for the third dose of vaccine. Initially, after eight hours of deliberations, a decision was made by a majority of 16 against 2 experts not to recommend approval of the "booster" dose. The panel then convened for a re-vote, where it was unanimously decided that they would recommend a “booster” for those aged 65 and over and risk groups. Tonight, the administration accepted the recommendation of its experts.
The Ministry of Health said after the FDA's recommendation was published last week that it actually gives "validity to the third vaccination campaign that has begun in Israel." The ministry said in a statement that the FDA had been presented with "research data on vaccine attenuation and increased protection after a third vaccine, which are said to be convincing." Coronavirus. "
During the discussions, the head of the public health services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sharon Elrai Price, presented the truth data from Israel. We are here to present the decisions we have made in Israel. "On the advice of several academic sources and analysts, we have announced the additional dose very carefully," said Dr. Price.
Apart from Israel, Germany and the United Kingdom have also begun giving the third dose of the corona vaccine to certain populations in the country.
Photo: Walla! News