CDC Director Says People Should Determine "Own Risk and Benefit" for Booster Vaccine Shots
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said on Sunday that people should determine their "own risk and benefit" for getting the Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots.
The CDC director voiced out her comments during a CBS interview on Sunday, saying that people should figure out for themselves if a third dose is necessary.
"We made it possible for people to be eligible [for the booster shot], but they really have to identify their own individual risk and their own individual benefit," Walensky underscored in the interview.
Walensky also said that individuals who were among made eligible for Pfizer's COVID-19 booster shots, including health care workers, teachers, and people toiling in homeless shelters, prisons, grocery stores, and public transportation, can speak with healthcare providers to determine if they really need to be inoculated with the booster shots.
The CDC director pointed out that resources that can answer one's query about the booster shots are available with the pharmacists, physicians, public health departments, and their agency.
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CDC Director Rochelle Walensky Defends Recommending Booster Vaccine Among Frontliners
Aside from saying that people should determine their "own risk and benefit" in getting the booster shots, Walensky also explained why she decided to overrule a recommendation from their advisory committee recommending booster vaccine shots for older American adults and high risk for severe diseases only.
Walensky pointed out that the evidence their agency and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed made her feel that frontliners need to be eligible for the booster shots.
Wilensky also mentioned that her recommendation for boosters also applies to people who spend most of their day alongside groups of people who were unvaccinated, such as the teachers in the classroom with students aging under 12.
Walensky's explanation of her recommendation of booster shots among frontline came after she recommended booster shots to all Americans eight months after their second dose, along with other top health officials.
"The sciences may very well show that the rest of the population needs to be boosted," Walensky underscored, adding that they will provide guidance as soon as they get "the science" to inform them.
The CDC director also highlighted that the goal of the Biden administration is to "stay ahead of the virus," including providing boosters so that the U.S. would not end up in a vulnerable place.
Pfizer CEO Says Vaccine Data For Kids on the way to FDA
As the frontliners were made eligible for booster shots, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Sunday said that COVID-19 vaccine data for children ages 5-11 will be ready to be reviewed by FDA in the coming days.
Bourla highlighted that their company is ready to submit the said data any day, and the conclusion will be in the hands of the concerned agency. Furthermore, the Pfizer CEO also noted that if the regulators approve their data, their company is ready to manufacture the vaccine.
Bourla further noted that the formula of their COVID-129 vaccine for kids is different than the regular formulation.
It can be recalled that currently, children aging 12 and up are eligible to take Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written By: Joshua Summers
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