Vaccination Update
State Issues New Vaccination Guidance
On March 17th, the State issued new vaccination guidance incorporating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) new recommendations for a longer interval between the first and second doses of the primary COVID-19 vaccine series for certain people. An eight-week interval between mRNA COVID-19 vaccine primary series doses may be optimal for persons age 12 to 64 years, particularly males age 12 to 39 years who have a higher relative risk for myocarditis and pericarditis after mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
Certain populations may still benefit from a shorter interval between doses one and two of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine primary series. For that reason, a shorter interval (three weeks for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or four weeks for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine) remains recommended for:
- Children age 5 to 11 years (the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only COVID-19 vaccine currently authorized for use in this age group in the U.S.);
- Adults age 65 years and older;
- Persons with moderate or severe immunocompromise (see the “COVID-19 Vaccines for Immunocompromised Persons” section of the guidance); and
- Others who need rapid protection due to high community transmission or risk of severe disease.
This recommendation will need to be considered when tracking and considering the timing of mandated vaccination of staff and health care personnel in nursing homes, adult care facilities (ACFs), home care, and hospice agencies. Members are urged to review the guidance, which provides more detail on this recommendation.
FDA Considers EUAs for Second COVID-19 Boosters
Last week, both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna submitted applications to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization (EUA) of an additional booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer is seeking a second booster for adults age 65 years and older who have gotten a booster dose of any of the authorized or approved vaccines. Moderna is seeking emergency authorization of a second booster for all adults, a significantly broader request than that filed by Pfizer/BioNTech.
An FDA committee will be taking up the topic of second boosters on April 6th, with no plans at this meeting to consider specific EUA applications. It is unclear how long it will take the FDA to review the EUA applications. LeadingAge NY will keep members updated on this development.