CDC director OKs COVID-19 booster shot for some Americans with weak immune systems

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has upheld a vote by a panel of independent experts that moderate-to-severe immunocompromised individuals may receive a Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 booster shot.

The news follows the FDA’s expanded emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines to authorize a booster shot for certain immunocompromised patients. "This is an important step forward in improving protection against COVID-19," Dr. Gregory Poland, professor of medicine, infectious diseases and molecular pharmacology at the Mayo Clinic, told Fox News. Poland noted that a careful distinction regarding eligible immunocompromised patients will be important "to maximize vaccine uptake and minimize any potential confusion." Patients eligible for booster shots under the recommendation and amended emergency approval include those with moderate to severe immune compromise, such as solid organ transplant recipients, patients with advanced or untreated HIV infection and those taking high-dose corticosteroids and treatments for cancer, among others.