As mentioned last week, Nebraska Medicine Employee Health is planning to offer COVID-19 booster shots as part of the colleague vaccination clinics that begin at Nebraska Medical Center this week. However, Nebraska Medicine still is waiting on approval to administer booster doses. It’s unlikely that approval will be received before the first clinic on Thursday, Sept. 23, so only influenza vaccines will be offered at that clinic.
Last week, an advisory committee for the FDA endorsed a Pfizer booster dose for people who are 65 years or older and those who are at high risk of developing severe disease. It also said that health care workers and others who are likely to be exposed as part of their job should get boosters. However, it does not recommend booster doses for the general population at this time, saying that a booster dose would not significantly impact the United States’ ability to control the pandemic.
Before any booster doses can be given, the emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA must be amended. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) must also determine who is eligible to receive the shots. ACIP is scheduled to meet this week.
More information will be shared with the organization as soon as details are available regarding who is eligible for a Pfizer booster dose, including how much time needs to have passed since the original vaccination.