The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is set to meet Sept. 22 and Sept. 23 in Atlanta to discuss COVID-19 booster shots.
Four things to know about the meeting:
- The CDC committee's role is to decide who should get boosters of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and when. The FDA's vaccine advisory committee voted Sept. 17 to authorize a booster dose of Pfizer's vaccine in people ages 65 and older and those at high risk of severe disease. The CDC committee is to decide who belongs in the high-risk category, according to The New York Times.
- Similar to the way the FDA vaccine panel's decisions are not final until accepted by the FDA, the CDC advisory committee's recommendations for who gets a booster shot must be accepted by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD.
- The committee's decision may not come until late afternoon Sept. 23, the Times reported. The FDA may make a formal decision on authorizing a booster of Pfizer's shot before the CDC committee makes its recommendation, according to CNBC.
- The CDC advisory committee is independent of the FDA and hasn't always aligned with the FDA's decision on who should get a certain vaccine, USA Today noted.
Find the CDC committee's meeting agenda here.