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The Food and Drug Administration is set to make a decision on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for people with weakened immune systems.
The FDA is closely monitoring data from studies of giving an extra dose to immunocompromised people, a spokesperson told Fox News. The agency has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess options and will have an update soon, they said, without giving a specific timeline.
The CDC has identified people who are immunocompromised as being at greater risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, more likely resulting in hospitalization or death. And Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a White House press briefing this week that “people who are immunocompromised are vulnerable.”
Examples of people with weakened immune systems include people with HIV / AIDS; cancer and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs; and those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system, the CDC explains on its website.
“The reason is that it is now clear from the observational data that has been made that they do not, in general, with a few exceptions, but in general, do not make an adequate response that we felt – we think it would be adequately protected, ”says Dr Fauci. “So in this regard, it is extremely important for us to act so that these individuals receive their boosters.
UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUALS TWICE MORE LIKELY TO FACED WITH COVID-19 REINFECTION: CDC STUDY
“And we are working on it now, and we will make sure that it is implemented as quickly as possible because, for us and for those involved, it is a very high priority,” added Fauci.
Recent data has indicated that people with weakened immune systems may benefit from a booster dose of the vaccine to increase their antibody response to the virus.
In the meantime, health officials have recommended that immunocompromised people continue to take precautions against the coronavirus.
FULLY VACCINATED AND IMMUNOCOMPROMISED PATIENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO DISGREE AS EXPERTS.
Last month, Dr. Sara Oliver, a member of the CDC’s epidemic intelligence service, recommended that anyone with a weakened immune system continue to wear a mask, socially distance themselves from others, and avoid poorly ventilated spaces even. if she is vaccinated.
For now, health officials have said vaccinated Americans don’t need an extra dose.
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However, with a changing situation with new viral spots like the highly contagious delta variant, an FDA spokesperson said the agency, along with the CDC and NIH, is still evaluating the potential of vaccine booster doses. .
Officials are looking at lab data, clinical trial data and cohort data from different drug companies, the spokesperson said.
Kayla Rivas of Fox News contributed reporting.
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