The FDA released the documents on Wednesday for consideration by a committee of outside experts who will meet Friday to vote on recommending if U.S regulators should approve the extra shots.
It said that a roughly 300-participant clinical trial showed that the third dose generated a better immune response than the second dose. It also pointed to data from the booster program recently started in Israel to show that a third dose restores high levels of protection from the virus.
President Joe Biden has pushed for the additional shots in the face of surging hospitalizations and deaths caused by the highly contagious Delta variant, and set a Sept. 20 target to begin administering 100 million booster shots. But it is not clear to many scientists whether the additional shots are necessary broadly. Earlier this week, two top FDA vaccine scientists were among the authors of an article saying that they do not believe the data currently supports giving the shots. One of those scientists - Marion Gruber, director of the FDA's Office of Vaccines Research and Review - will be speaking at the meeting on Friday.
Some U.S. officials are hoping boosters might prevent mild cases and reduce transmission of the virus as well as reducing serious infections, which could hasten America's recovery. Some countries have already begun COVID-19 booster campaigns. The United States authorized extra shots for people with vulnerable immune systems last month.""We are working to post all of the documents for this important meeting, many of which contain complex data, as quickly as possible but are posting items throughout the day as they are finalized and available," an FDA spokesperson said.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Net1 gets fourth-quarter bump from easing Covid-19 restrictionsFinancial services group’s revenue falls almost a fifth in year to end-June
Read more »
As if Covid-19 wasn’t enough, now India is battling killer dengue outbreakThe disease is suspected of killing dozens, with authorities setting out to destroy mosquito breeding grounds
Read more »
#VaxxFacts: What is in Covid-19 vaccines?UWC’s Associate Professor of Medical Biosciences Megan Shaw said the fact that none of the vaccines contains the Covid virus should assure people that the vaccines do not contain infectious material. VaxxFacts in partnership with UWConline
Read more »
Net1 gets fourth-quarter bump from easing Covid-19 restrictionsFinancial services group’s revenue falls almost a fifth in year to end-June
Read more »
Elections 2021: Covid-19 forces parties to get creative in their campaigningParties are concerned about convincing enough voters to turn out, with some questions over whether the local elections will truly be free and fair.
Read more »
Sahpra finds no link between reported deaths and the Covid-19 vaccineSahpra said most adverse effects after vaccination are mild and usually resolve within the first 2-3 days after getting the jab.
Read more »