Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot Approved By FDA For High-Risk Individuals, People 65 And Up

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized a booster dose of the Pfizer Inc. PFE-BioNTech SE BNTX COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 65 years and older as well as other high-risk Americans.

What Happened: The FDA said that the booster dose can be administered to individuals that meet these criteria six months after completion of their first two doses.

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In addition to people 65 and older, the authorization includes people 18 through 64 years of age who are at high risk of severe COVID-19 and whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to the virus puts them at high risk of serious complications from COVID-19.

Why It Matters: The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee had on Friday recommended the vaccine booster shots for older Americans and those at high risk of severe illness but voted against recommending a third dose of the vaccine to the general population.

Americans 65 and older account for about 17% of the U.S. population and are seen as the most at risk of dying from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In August, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla had defended the need for the booster shot, citing the spread of the delta variant of the virus and also due to immunity starting to wane after six months.

Price Action: Pfizer shares closed less than 0.1% higher in Wednesday’s regular trading session at $43.95 and further rose 0.9% in the after-hours session to $43.95.

BioNTech shares closed 0.6% lower in the regular trading session at $339.26 but rose almost 0.8% in the after-hours session to $341.80.

Photo: Courtesy of Marco Verch on Flickr