Updates for Pfizer vaccine guidance from the CDC

by Chia-Yi Hou | Jan. 5, 2022 | Jan. 05, 2022

A vial of a children’s dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine rests on a table during a vaccination clinic at City of Lawrence’s “The Center,” which serves seniors, families and the community, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Lawrence, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Associated Press

Story at a glance

People who received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine can get their third shot five months after the second, instead of six months.
The Biden administration doubled their order for the Pfizer pill to treat COVID-19 illness.

Pfizer booster timeline shortened

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have updated guidance around the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine booster shot timeline. They are recommending that people who got the two shots get the third booster shot five months after the second shot, instead of the originally advised six months. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also cleared 12 to 15 year olds to get a booster shot and are looking at data to approve children from ages 5 to 11 for third shots.

Guidance for booster timelines for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines has stayed the same at six months and two months, respectively.

Biden administration doubles order for Pfizer pill

Pfizer has developed a treatment pill for COVID-19 called Paxlovid that was given emergency use authorization from the FDA last month. The Biden administration initially ordered enough pills for 10 million treatment courses. The pills must be taken a few times a day for five days starting on the first day of symptoms from the coronavirus. On Tuesday, the administration doubled the order to 20 million treatment courses.

“With the Omicron variant surging, the availability of and accessibility to treatment options is of utmost importance, as millions of people are being diagnosed with COVID-19 each and every day,” said Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, in a press release. “With data showing significant reductions in hospitalizations and deaths, along with the potential for PAXLOVID to maintain robust antiviral activity against Omicron, we believe this therapy will be an important tool in the fight against COVID-19.”

The pills for 435,000 treatments will be delivered over the next few months, according to The New York Times.

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