A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted Thursday to recommend Moderna booster shots for emergency use authorization, bringing millions of people in the U.S. one step closer to being eligible for additional doses.
The panel, called the Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, voted unanimously in favor of authorizing the shots. The decision will go to the FDA, which is expected to make a final ruling in the coming days.
The panel’s recommendations followed the blueprint it established last month for booster shots of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine: For people who were initially vaccinated with Moderna, the booster would be authorized for adults ages 65 and up, people in long-term care facilities and people ages 18-64 with underlying medical conditions and who are at high risk of exposure to the coronavirus because of their job. Such people would be eligible at least six months after their second shots.
