US health officials consider more COVID-19 vaccine boosters for adults

US health officials are preparing to consider more COVID-19 vaccine boosters for adults and the first vaccine shots for children younger than 12.

The Food and Drug Administration said its panel of outside vaccine experts will meet Oct. 14 and 15 to consider whether to recommend booster doses for adults who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The FDA is not required to follow the panel’s advice, though it often does.

If the FDA authorizes third doses of the vaccines a separate panel of advisers to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make specific recommendations on who should get them.

The FDA and CDC signed off on booster shots of Pfizer’s vaccine last month for key Americans who face higher risks from COVID-19.

Additionally, the panel will hear presentations on the safety and effectiveness of mixing different vaccine brands when giving booster shots.

The FDA also set an Oct. 26 panel meeting to consider Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines for children 5 to 11 years old. Currently the vaccine is authorized for children 12 and older.