Vaccination against Covid-19: in the United States, health authorities give a first green light to a third dose for all adults – archyde

U.S. health officials have approved emergency use of a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for all fully vaccinated adults at least six months ago, announced Friday, November 19, the US drug agency (FDA).

The FDA specifies that this emergency use authorization granted to Pfizer and Moderna contributes “To provide continued protection against Covid-19, including against serious consequences that may occur, such as hospitalization or death”. The independent committee of vaccine experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, the US federal public health agency) is due to meet during the afternoon, and CDC director Rochelle Walensky is due to give his agreement for these booster injections.

The two pharmaceutical groups had earlier announced that they had obtained authorization from the FDA. “This emergency use authorization comes at a critical time, as we enter the winter months and face an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations across the country”, said Moderna boss Stéphane Bancel.

85,000 new cases daily on average in the United States

People aged 18 and over who received the single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson in the United States already had the right to a second dose, two months after their injection.

For people vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna, the third dose was previously reserved for certain categories of the population only: those over 65 years of age, adults at risk of developing a severe form of the disease, or those at high exposure to the virus, for example example because of their work.

The announcement comes as cases of Covid-19 are on the rise again in the United States, with an average of 85,000 new cases daily (up from around 70,000 at the end of October), and around 1,000 deaths per day.

Some US states, including California, had already started authorizing booster doses for all adults, even before the recommendations of health agencies, in the hope of containing the spread of the epidemic before the holiday season. .