For first-time vaccination recipients of COVID-19, the CDC panel has granted an expanded vaccination schedule of booster shots. The recommendation includes a single dose for adults who were not fully vaccinated with COVID-19.
In previous CDC guidance for COVID-19 boosters, these children or those who were previously vaccinated with COVID-19 were vaccinated with the booster shots along with a twice-weekly booster injection, an “upper shot” of COVID-19, or a booster shot of the CMV vaccine.
CVD-19 protects against the five strains of the human cytomegalovirus (CMV) virus that are the most common causes of CMV infection in adults in the United States.
“Because CMV remains a serious infection for adult women, CMV-19 is particularly important for pregnant women, men, and women who are planning to become pregnant,” explained CVD-19 immunization director William Schaffner.
“An increase in the number of adults becoming infected with CMV will not prevent additional spread of CMV-related herpes infections if not immunized,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
In areas with high rates of CMV infection, a vaccine with a one-shot delivery is most effective, and CMV vaccine use was effective in 2015 and 2016.