Pfizer will request authorization for booster doses of its vaccine against covid-19 for those over 18 years of age

Melissa Velasquez Loaiza

(CNN) – Pfizer is expected this week to request authorization for the emergency use of a booster of its covid-19 vaccine from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), he said. Monday a Biden administration official.

While the request could come as early as this week, the date could change.

The expected emergency use request was first reported by The Washington Post.

Pfizer says its experimental pill reduces the risk of hospitalization and death from covid-19

CDC experts approve use of Pfizer’s vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 1:34

The authorization would bring the country one step closer to President Joe Biden’s mid-August prediction that booster doses would be available to all adults in the United States. It also comes as federal health officials have made clear their concerns about declining immunity as the nation moves into the winter months.

It would not be the first Pfizer booster dose to be licensed

The FDA has already cleared boosters of the COVID-19 vaccine for most adults once they have passed enough of their initial doses.

FDA Authorizes Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine for Children 5-11 Years Old

People who received the Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna covid-19 vaccines six months or more ago can receive a booster if they are 65 years of age or older; if they are at risk of severe covid-19 from a breakthrough infection due to a medical condition such as diabetes, kidney disease, or pregnancy; or if they are at risk due to living or working conditions.

Anyone who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine two months or more ago is eligible two months later to receive their booster shot. The J&J vaccine is only licensed for people over 18 years of age.

Pfizer said Monday that the company has no update on whether it will seek back-up authorization for additional groups.

More than 24 million fully vaccinated people, approximately 12.4% of the total, have already received a booster dose of the vaccine.

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