Nursing home residents who were immunized against COVID-19 with Pfizer’s vaccine could soon receive booster shots following a recommendation made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A CDC panel endorsed the Pfizer shots for people 65 and older, those ages 50 to 64 who have underlying medical conditions, as well as adults 18 to 49 with chronic health conditions, according to an Associated Press report.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on the panel’s recommendations, with one exception.
The panel on Thursday declined to recommend boosters for people ages 18 to 64 who are health care workers or in another profession that would put them at increased risk to COVID-19 exposure.
Walensky instead reversed that decision. The category also includes people who live in institutional settings, including prisons or homeless shelters.
The booster would be administered at least six months after an individual’s last Pfizer shot.
Dr. David Gifford, chief medical officer of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), said in a statement issued Friday that long-term care facilities are ready to administer booster shots to residents and staff who received the Pfizer vaccine, and the process should be “fairly straightforward.”
“Long term care facilities are diverse, so a one-size-fits-all approach will not work for a booster shot rollout. We must consider things like the size and location of the facility, the acuity of the residents, the number of new admissions, and more,” Gifford said in the press release.
Gifford added that the industry needs to continue to increase vaccination rates, particularly for long-term care workers.
The Food and Drug Administration similarly gave the green light to Pfizer boosters on Wednesday.
The recommendations are a considerably scaled back version of the Biden administration’s plans announced last month. President Joe Biden said in August that starting on Sept. 20 all Americans that received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine would be able to get their booster shot.
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