NIH Director Collins Believes Pfizer Booster Shots Will Be Expanded Despite FDA Panel’s Recommendation

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, testifies during the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington on Sept. 9, 2020. Greg Nash/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said he believes COVID-19 vaccine booster use will be expanded despite a panel of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) experts recommending against them for the general population.

An overwhelming majority of the panel voted against recommending Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster for most of the general population, although later approved them for individuals aged 65 and older. Some scientists on the panel expressed concern that side effects associated with the vaccine such as myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation, aren’t properly understood and suggested that young people don’t need boosters for now.