DENVER (KDVR) — With approval from the Food and Drug Administration for Pfizer vaccine booster shots to be given to vulnerable populations, FOX31 reached out to local doctors to find out what that means for people hoping to get a booster soon.
Dr. Jean Kutner, chief medical officer at UCHealth, summarized Friday’s decision by the FDA.
“It’s a recommendation process, so we make sure that we’re using the best evidence to keep us all safe from COVID,” she said.
What if you’re not over 65, immune-compromised or an employee in the healthcare field?
“What I would tell people is to be patient,” Kutner said.
If you’ve been fully vaccinated, you’re still safe.
“It does continue to protect people from severe outcomes such as hospitalization and death,” Kutner said.
The effects of boosters have yet to be determined.
Groups who got the Pfizer vaccine earlier on and are beginning to venture into getting a booster are, in fact, under the microscope of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We ourselves at UCHealth are one of the sites that are participating in this data gathering,” Kutner said.
In a statement Friday, Gov. Jared Polis applauded the FDA’s decision to approve boosters for vulnerable populations.
In previous statements on the issue of Pfizer boosters, he spared nothing in his opinion of FDA officials.
“They have blood on their hands and there are thousands of Americans that are dead today because of their delays of the booster shot,” he said.
“The FDA should get out of the way and allow people to make this choice to protect themselves,” Polis added.
Part of his statement on Friday called on approval for everyone who got the Pfizer jab to get the same booster.
“Well I certainly can not speak for Governor Polis,” Kutner said. “I think that we need to put our efforts on still helping people who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated.”
In Colorado, 69% of people have been fully vaccinated.
The Pfizer boosters are scheduled to be administered starting next week.