US panel backs COVID-19 boosters only for seniors, high-risk

By MATTHEW PERRONE and LAURAN NEERGAARD
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — An influential federal advisory panel has overwhelmingly rejected a plan to give Pfizer booster shots against COVID-19 to most Americans, but it endorsed the extra doses for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease. The twin votes Friday represented a heavy blow to the Biden administration’s sweeping effort to shore up nearly all Americans’ protection amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. The decision was made by a committee of outside experts who advise the Food and Drug Administration. The White House called the action “an important step forward in providing better protection” from the virus.