Why the CDC and FDA only approved booster shots for some Americans
Given what we know about breakthrough infections, most experts remain unconvinced there’s enough data to justify an extra dose for most Americans.
In a blow to President Joe Biden’s plan to begin rolling out COVID-19 booster shots this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization of a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine only to certain subgroups of the national population. That includes people age 65 and older and people at risk of severe disease, such as adults with underlying conditions or in high-risk jobs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later gave their ruling to start administering boosters to older adults, residents of long-term care facilities, and people ages 50 to 64 with conditions that leave them vulnerable to severe disease.
But in an unusual move that highlights how complicated the decision-making on
