COVID-19 vaccine insights: The news beyond the headlines
Here is key intelligence on the recommended primary series, boosters, breakthrough infection, adverse events, special population vaccination, vaccine myths, and what the future might hold.
PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS
› Vaccinate all adults (≥ 18 years) against COVID-19, based on recommendations for the initial series and boosters. A
› Vaccinate patients against COVID-19 with evidence-based assurance that doing so reduces disease-related risk of hospitalization, myocardial infarction, stroke, need for mechanical ventilation, and death. A
Strength of recommendation (SOR)
A Good-quality patient-oriented evidence
B Inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence
C Consensus, usual practice, opinion, disease-oriented evidence, case series
At approximately that time, application to the FDA for a fourth shot (or a second booster) by Pfizer-BioNTech had been approved for adults > 50 years of age, at > 4 months after their previous vaccination.57 In view of warning signs from wastewater surveillance, priorities for vaccination should be to:
- increase uptake in the hesitant
- get boosters to the eligible
- prepare to tackle either seasonal or sporadic recurrence of COVID-19—whichever scenario the future brings.
As an example of how these priorities have been put into action, in September 2022, the FDA approved, and the CDC recommended, new bivalent boosters for everyone ≥ 12 years of age (Pfizer-BioNTech) or for all those ≥ 18 years of age (Moderna), to be administered ≥ 2 months after receipt of their most recent booster or primary series.
b Visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/interim-considerations-us.html for more guidance on COVID-19 vaccination for immunocompromised patients.
CORRESPONDENCE
John L. Kiley, MD, 3551 Roger Brooke Drive, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234; john.l.kiley.mil@health.mil
