FDA Sidelines Own Vaccine Advisers To Approve COVID Boosters for Children

The Food and Drug Administration authorized COVID-19 booster shots for children as young as five without approval from its vaccine advisory committee, raising alarms that the Biden administration is prioritizing pandemic politics over physicians’ recommendations.

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee did not convene ahead of this week’s FDA decision on boosters for children ages 5 to 11. By forgoing a committee meeting on the decision, the FDA is precluding public comments from committee members who are skeptical of the necessity of booster shots for young children, who experience low rates of serious COVID-19 illness.

It is standard practice for the FDA to consult the advisory committee before major vaccine decisions. This committee was convened, for example, when the FDA debated the authorization of the first two doses of the vaccine for children last year. One member of the committee, Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told the Washington Free Beacon that the FDA has “completely circumvented” the process for raising concerns about the authorization.

“You should be circumspect about whether or not your recommendation could cause a problem,” said Offit, who runs his hospital’s Vaccine Education Center.- READ MORE