Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisers Thursday overwhelmingly recommended the use of Moderna’s and Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 booster shots, arguing they could help stave off a winter wave of infection.
In two separate 13-1 votes, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended both vaccines, sending the recommendations to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky for her endorsement. Walensky endorsed the recommendations within hours of the committee vote, saying in a statement that updated boosters “can help restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination.”
The decision, combined with the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to authorize the boosters Wednesday, clears the way for the updated boosters’ quick release.
