The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday became the second US public health agency to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 booster vaccines for certain groups of people, saying the approval was in the interest of doing "the greatest good" for Americans
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2021) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday became the second US public health agency to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 booster vaccines for certain groups of people, saying the approval was in the interest of doing "the greatest good" for Americans.
"In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. "I believe we can best serve the nation's public health needs by providing booster doses for the elderly, those in long-term care facilities, people with underlying medical conditions, and for adults at high risk of disease from occupational and institutional exposures to COVID-19."
The backing for the Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 booster comes exactly a week after an advisory panel to the food and Drug Administration voted unanimously to endorse the secondary vaccination for the groups cited by Walensky.
Explaining the CDC's support for the FDA panel's decision amid the continued resistance to coronavirus vaccines among millions of Americans, Walensky said the agency was only working with the information it had.
"As CDC Director, it is my job to recognize where our actions can have the greatest impact," Walensky said. "At CDC, we are tasked with analyzing complex, often imperfect data to make concrete recommendations that optimize health."
Walensky also said the CDC's support for the booster shots should "not distract from our most important focus of Primary vaccination in the United States and around the world for the COVID-19."
The CDC's recommendation for the Pfizer-BioNTech's boosters covered people 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings; those aged 18-49 years with underlying medical conditions; and people aged 18-64 who were at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional settings.
More than 175 million Americans, or 62% of the population of the United States, have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus while as many as 80 million remain unvaccinated, according to available data.
