A PANEL of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted last week to recommend Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for people 65 years of age or older, as well as those who are at high risk for severe illness.
The panel voted against approving the booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for people 16 years of age or older.
It also recommended that the FDA include healthcare workers and workers in other occupations at high risk for occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, such as teachers.
Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation Chief Executive Officer Esther L. Muna on Monday said the CNMI cannot implement booster programs until the FDA takes regulatory action and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices makes clinical recommendations for use.
The committee is composed of medical and public health experts who develop vaccine recommendations, such as the ages when the vaccine should be given, the number of doses needed, the amount of time between doses, and precautions and contraindications for children and adults.
The committee’s recommendations serve as public health guidance for safe use of vaccines and related biological products.
The next committee meeting is scheduled for Sept. 22 to 23, Muna said as she reiterated that third shots are available at the multi-purpose center in Susupe.
The CDC recommends that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
These shots are available to eligible individuals with chronic issues.
These include people who have been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood; those who have received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system; or those who have received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
Also included are people who have moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency, such as DiGeorge syndrome or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, advanced or untreated HIV infection, or active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response.
As of Monday, 81.2% of the eligible CNMI population, or 34,399 individuals, had been fully vaccinated.
To date, the CNMI has reported 263 confirmed positive Covid-19 cases, two deaths, and five hospitalizations since March 28, 2020.
Currently, there is no active hospitalization of Covid-19 patients.
To view the CNMI vaccination dashboard, visit https://vaccinatecnmi.com
To view the new CHCC Covid-19 dashboard, visit https://chcc.datadriven.health/covid19
