Today an FDA independent advisory panel met and voted unanimously to recommend Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to be given six months after full vaccination for those 65 and older, those at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, and those ages 18 to 64 whose job or other settings put them at risk for complications or severe illness.

The next step is consideration by FDA officials, who are expected to decide in a few days, and evaluation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee, which is scheduled to meet Oct. 20. The FDA committee is slated to meet tomorrow on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine booster authorization.

Third doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have already been authorized for some immunocompromised people.