The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines’ emergency use authorizations to allow persons with impaired immune systems to receive the third dosage.
“Today, FDA revised the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for both the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for the use of an additional dose in certain immunocompromised patients,” according to a tweet from the US Food and Drug Administration.
“FDA judged that this small, susceptible group may benefit from a third dosage of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines after a careful examination of the available data,” FDA’s acting commissioner said.
The decision to increase the emergency use of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines is intended to assist individuals with immune weaknesses who are thought to gain the most from a second shot. According to the CDC, around 2.7 percent of adults in the United States are immunocompromised.
These immunocompromised people, according to the US FDA, are solid organ transplant patients or those who have been diagnosed with illnesses that are regarded to have a comparable level of immunocompromise.
“Today’s action enables clinicians to increase immunity in immunocompromised individuals who require additional COVID-19 protection. Other individuals who are completely vaccinated are adequately protected and do not require a further dose of the covid-19 vaccine at this time, as we previously stated,” the acting FDA Commissioner said.
