FDA to talk Pfizer booster, as some experts doubt immediate need

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC)— Looking ahead, the Food and Drug Administration says its vaccine committee will meet Friday to consider the approval of a third booster shot for the Pfizer vaccine.

The announcement comes just days before the Biden administration plans to start offering third shots for most Americans.

The FDA panel could also later do the same for boosters by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The agency granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine last month for those 16 and older.

Booster shots require separate authorization, although they are already approved for those with weaker immune systems.

At the same time, two FDA experts are among the group of people opposing the U.S. booster shot plan right now. They claim the average person doesn’t need an extra dose yet.

The two experts joined a group of international scientists who published an opinion piece in The Lancet, a scientific journal. The experts reviewed studies of the vaccines’ performance and concluded the shots are working well despite the extra-contagious delta variant.