Pfizer booster shots approved for many at-risk Americans

The latest development in the U.S. rollout of vaccines means a booster shot is now available for many Americans, including those most at risk of severe illness from the COVID-19 virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made these recommendations on who is approved for a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine:

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Dr. Shireesha Dhanireddy says UW Medicine is well-prepared to begin administering booster vaccines to those who now qualify.

“UW Medicine has been planning for these boosters for months,” says Dhanireddy, lead clinician for the COVID-19 vaccination program. “We will be ramping up staffing in our larger vaccination clinics, but we also will make sure that the vaccine is available throughout our clinics so that you can get it in your own clinic.”

While Pfizer is the first vaccine to gain approval for a booster series in the United States, Dhanireddy expects recommendations for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters to be made in the near future. Meanwhile, mixing and matching vaccine types is not recommended.

“There are studies ongoing about mix-and-match,” Dhanireddy says. “I think it would be hard to approve mixing and matching based on the lack of data that's been published.”