FDA expected to allow third vaccine dose for some Americans
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The FDA is planning to amend the emergency use authorization orders for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines to allow a third dose for certain immunocompromised people who may not have had adequate protection from just two doses, a source confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday.
News of the move comes as the CDC’s independent panel of vaccine advisers is scheduled to meet Friday morning to discuss “additional doses in immunocompromised individuals.”
Technically, vaccine providers cannot administer additional doses to any Americans under the CDC’s current agreement governing the shots — even if the FDA amends its emergency use authorization — until the agency’s advisers formally recommend the move.
A small share of American adults, less than 3%, are estimated to have compromised immune systems and often need additional doses of other vaccines to build sufficient protection against viruses.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated.