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canyonwalkerA week ago I wrote about confusing guidance from the FDA and CDC on Covid-19 booster shots. The advisory panel for the FDA had made one set of recommendations, then the FDA acting director chose a broader set of uses to permit, then a CDC advisory panel voted a narrow, different set of recommendations. Looking to our federal government for specific policy recommendations was like getting an answer from the Magic 8-Ball toy from years ago: REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN.
Literally the day after I blogged that the CDC announced a new official policy that, like the FDA's amended official policy a few days earlier, overruled its advisory panel recommendations. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. Example news coverage: Washington Post article 24 Sep 2021.
Per this CDC press release (published 24 Sep 2021) the CDC now recommends Covid-19 booster shots for:
This policy is clearer than some but still hazy. The CDC page hyperlinks to definitions of which "underlying medical conditions" count but doesn't specify which risky jobs count. And while that policy is somewhat clear, the fact that there are now 2 sets of recommendations and 2 sets of official policy, and among them none of the 4 match, creates further confusion. And oh, this is just for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. If you got Moderna or J&J the guidance is different— or doesn't exist yet. REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN!
Amid the lack of a single, simple, clear policy, decisions about who should seek booster shots— or who should be permitted to get one— are left up to individual interpretation. For example, by the CDC policy I'm eligible for a booster shot in less than two weeks. I got the Pfizer vaccine, and my second shot was just under 6 months ago.
Today I checked CVS's website. They're the pharmacy chain I got my first two shots from. At the moment they have appointments available at some nearby stores. Thankfully there's no crazy supply and demand problem like the one that sent me driving 210 miles roundtrip for my first shot! But I can't book an appointment yet— at least not if I'm being strictly truthful— because their site won't let you even see the availability schedule until your 6 month anniversary. I put in a fake date just to check availability. And they have a click-thru box asking you to attest that you're eligible under the CDC advisory panel's recommendations— the list that's more strict than the official policy announced 6 days ago. To actually get a shot I'd technically have to lie about my eligibility because they're asking me to attest under an inaccurate policy. Maybe they'll have those problems fixed in a week or two, closer to when I do become eligible. Until then it's REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN.
Literally the day after I blogged that the CDC announced a new official policy that, like the FDA's amended official policy a few days earlier, overruled its advisory panel recommendations. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. Example news coverage: Washington Post article 24 Sep 2021.Per this CDC press release (published 24 Sep 2021) the CDC now recommends Covid-19 booster shots for:
- People 65+
- Residents in long-term care and institutions
- People 18+ with underlying medical conditions
- People 18+ whose job puts them at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission.
This policy is clearer than some but still hazy. The CDC page hyperlinks to definitions of which "underlying medical conditions" count but doesn't specify which risky jobs count. And while that policy is somewhat clear, the fact that there are now 2 sets of recommendations and 2 sets of official policy, and among them none of the 4 match, creates further confusion. And oh, this is just for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. If you got Moderna or J&J the guidance is different— or doesn't exist yet. REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN!
Amid the lack of a single, simple, clear policy, decisions about who should seek booster shots— or who should be permitted to get one— are left up to individual interpretation. For example, by the CDC policy I'm eligible for a booster shot in less than two weeks. I got the Pfizer vaccine, and my second shot was just under 6 months ago.
Today I checked CVS's website. They're the pharmacy chain I got my first two shots from. At the moment they have appointments available at some nearby stores. Thankfully there's no crazy supply and demand problem like the one that sent me driving 210 miles roundtrip for my first shot! But I can't book an appointment yet— at least not if I'm being strictly truthful— because their site won't let you even see the availability schedule until your 6 month anniversary. I put in a fake date just to check availability. And they have a click-thru box asking you to attest that you're eligible under the CDC advisory panel's recommendations— the list that's more strict than the official policy announced 6 days ago. To actually get a shot I'd technically have to lie about my eligibility because they're asking me to attest under an inaccurate policy. Maybe they'll have those problems fixed in a week or two, closer to when I do become eligible. Until then it's REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN.
