State Health Department Awaiting CDC Recommendations on Pfizer Booster Shots

Federal regulators have given preliminary authorization for booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, but the state Department of Health is still awaiting CDC recommendations.

A DOH spokesperson said the CDC has not completed its review and the Department of Health is not yet advising Hawaiʻi residents to get COVID-19 booster shots.

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted on Thursday to recommend booster shots for people 65 and older and others with underlying medical conditions, but it has not said yet whether it will follow the advisory committee’s recommendations.

DOH will issue guidance once the CDC makes its final recommendations.

Because the federal government has purchased all COVID-19 vaccines on an emergency basis, vaccine providers are required to follow the federal recommendations.