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The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday overruled a recommendation by an agency advisory panel that had refused to endorse booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine for frontline workers. It was a highly unusual move for the director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, but aligned C.D.C. policy with the Food and Drug Administration’s endorsements over her own agency’s advisers. The C.D.C.’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Thursday recommended the boosters for a wide range of Americans, including tens of millions of older adults, and younger people at high risk for the disease. But they excluded health care workers, teachers and others whose jobs put them at risk. That put their recommendations at odds with the F.D.A.’s authorization of booster shots for all adults with a high occupational risk. (Mandavilli and Mueller, 9/24)

The recommendations of the panel are not binding, but it is rare for a director to overrule the committee. Walensky endorsed the other recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, making them official and paving the way for tens of millions of adults to get a third Pfizer shot six months after completing the original two-shot regimen. With the CDC approval, the shots are expected to be available immediately at locations where the Pfizer vaccine is already being administered, including pharmacies, health departments, clinics and some doctor’s offices. (Sun and McGinley, 9/24)

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said her agency had to make recommendations based on complex, often imperfect data. "In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good," she said in a statement. ... The CDC recommendation follows U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization and clears the way for a booster rollout to begin as soon as this week for millions of people who had their second dose of the Pfizer shot at least six months ago. (Erman and Maddipatla, 9/24)

The boosters should be given to people who got the vaccine from Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE at least six months after their second dose. The committee didn’t vote on mixing and matching vaccines. Those who qualify for boosters will have to attest to their eligibility but won’t have to provide additional documentation, CDC officials said. (Schwartz, 9/23)

Following days of lengthy debate among vaccine experts, booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can now be officially administered to some adults in the United States. Early Friday morning, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky diverged from the agency's independent vaccine advisers to recommend boosters for a broader group of people -- those ages 18 to 64 who are at increased risk of Covid-19 because of their workplaces or institutional settings -- in addition to older adults, long-term care facility residents and some people with underlying health conditions. (Gumbrecht, 9/24)

An estimated 270,000 Connecticut residents who are 65 years and older and who originally received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, including nursing home residents, can begin getting their third booster shot as soon as Friday, Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration said Thursday. Residents ages 50 to 64 with risky underlying health conditions and who received the Pfizer vaccine will also be allowed to obtain a third dose at more than 800 locations across the state. They can be found online. (Haigh, 9/23)

California is preparing to administer third “booster” vaccine shots against COVID-19 for older people and immunocompromised adults as well as initial shots for students under 12 once the federal government approves them for children. On Thursday, state officials released a vaccine action plan. It still depends on direction that is expected to come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (9/23)