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An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has recommended that adults 65 and older receive an additional COVID-19 vaccine this spring.
The panel voted 11 to 1 in favor of recommending a second dose for people who have had it has already received the 2023-2024 vaccine, with vaccinations spaced at least four months apart. CDC Director Mandy Cohen endorsed the recommendation, according to STAT.
During the panel meeting, CDC vaccine expert Megan Wallace said COVID-19 still accounts for about 2,000 deaths and 20,000 hospitalizations per week in the United States. In the last year the number of new hospitalizations has not fallen below 6,000 per week.
Wallace added that people 65 and older are more likely to be hospitalized for the disease, but according to STAT, only about 40% of people in that age group received the 2023-2024 vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States are provided by Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), Modern (NASDAQ:MRNA) and Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX).