CDC director recommends COVID-19 booster for younger at-risk workers, defying advisory panel

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky late Thursday endorsed the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine booster shot for younger at-risk workers, which is seen as a rare break from the agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel.

Walensky put it back in, saying it aligns with a Food and Drug Administration booster authorization from earlier this week.

"As CDC Director, it is my job to recognize where our actions can have the greatest impact," Walensky said in a statement. "At CDC, we are tasked with analyzing complex, often imperfect data to make concrete recommendations that optimize health. In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good."

The younger at-risk group includes teachers and front-line medical workers.