NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Wednesday made a stronger endorsement for RSV vaccinations for people 75 and older, but offered a narrower recommendation for people 60 to 74.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention accepted the recommendations from a committee of outside advisers, making it the government's updated guidance to doctors.
A year ago, the same advisory group said that people 60 and older should simply talk to their doctors about whether to get the shots. Physicians have said that kind of lukewarm recommendation is confusing to patients, challenging to explain, and a likely reason that fewer than 25% of older Americans have gotten a shot.
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and the elderly.
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed single-dose RSV vaccines made by two companies, GSK and Pfizer, for older people. At the time, the vaccine advisers refrained from saying all older Americans should get the shots because of questions about possible side effects and the duration of protection.
Some of those questions still exist, and panel members on Wednesday declined a request by vaccine manufacturers to more forcefully recommend the shots for all Americans 60 and older.
Instead, they voted that people 75 and older should get the shots and that those 60 to 74 should do so only if they are higher risk for severe disease. The panel also declined to endorse giving the GSK vaccine to people in their 50s, even though the FDA this month licensed the company's shot for that age group.
A newly approved RSV shot from Moderna will be subject to the same guidance.
Panel members said data has demonstrated that the shots make sense for all people 75 and older, because they are at higher risk for severe RSV cases.
For people who are 60 and older, the conditions that put them at higher risk of severe illness include chronic heart disease, advanced-stage kidney disease, chronic lung illnesses and severe obesity. About 39% of people in that age group would qualify under the strictest interpretation of that guidelines, CDC officials said.
The committee also recommended the vaccine for 60- to 74-year-olds who live in nursing homes or are deemed by their doctors to be frail for other reasons.
Underlying the panel's hesitancy are reports of a nervous system disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome. Though rare, there have been a higher-than-expected number of Guillain-Barre cases among RSV vaccine recipients, particularly in those who got the Pfizer shot.
FDA officials on Wednesday said there is no clear evidence that the shots are causing the disorder, but some panel members noted research is ongoing.
“I do agree with the overall conclusion that the risks of RSV vaccination are greatly outweighed by the overall benefits," said one panel member, Dr. Camille Kotton, an infectious diseases expert at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Nonetheless, I remain quite concerned” about recurring indicators of Guillain-Barre in vaccination surveillance data, she added.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - This electron microscope image provided by the National Institutes of Health shows human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) virions, colorized blue, and anti-RSV F protein/gold antibodies, colorized yellow, shedding from the surface of human lung cells. Federal advisers on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, made a stronger endorsement for RSV vaccinations for people 75 and older, but made a narrower recommendation for people 60 to 74. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH via AP, File)
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Virat Kohli's first half-century at this Twenty20 World Cup anchored India to 176-7 against South Africa in the final on Saturday.
Kohli, who tallied only 75 runs in seven games, made 76 off 59 balls with six fours and two sixes after India was in early trouble at 34-3 inside the first five overs.
Axar Patel absorbed the pressure well after getting promoted at No. 5, hitting four sixes in his brisk 47 off 31 balls, and put India back on track by sharing a 72-run stand with Kohli.
Kohli completed his half-century off 48 balls in the 17th over, but pushed the acceleration by smashing big sixes against Kagiso Rabada (1-36) and Marco Jansen (1-49). Kohli holed out in the deep in the penultimate over.
Shivam Dube made 27 off 16 balls and fell in Anrich Nortje's (2-26) last over as India scored 58 runs in the last five overs.
Kohli got India off to a flier when he hit left-arm fast bowler Jansen for three boundaries in the first over, and captain Rohit Sharma struck left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (2-23) for two fours off his first two balls.
But Maharaj struck twice in his first over when Sharma was brilliantly snapped up by Heinrich Klaasen low at square leg, and Rishabh Pant hit off the toe-end of the bat while attempting a reverse sweep and ballooned a simple catch behind the wickets.
Klaasen shone again in the outfield when he caught Suryakumar Yadav at deep fine leg off Rabada’s short-pitched ball before Patel and Kohli rebuilt the innings.
Patel was run out off a brilliant direct throw from wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock as he smartly intercepted Kohli’s flick and then hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Both teams were unchanged from the semifinals.
South Africa is eyeing its maiden ICC title in its first final, while India, the inaugural T20 World Cup champion in 2007, hasn’t won a major trophy in 13 years.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
An Indian fan cheers for his team before the start of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
A fan takes a selfie with West Indies' cricket legend Chris Gayle before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
India's Virat Kohli bats during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
South Africa's Quinton de Kock, right, celebrates with teammates the wicket of India's Axar Patel during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
South Africa's Keshav Maharaj, second right, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of India's captain Rohit Sharma, right, during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
South Africa's Kagiso Rabada, center, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of India's Suryakumar Yadav during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
India's Virat Kohli, right, makes his crease as South Africa's Quinton de Kock fields the ball during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
India's Axar Patel bats during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
India's Virat Kohli bats during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
South Africa's Anrich Nortje warms up before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Indian fans cheer for their team before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Indian supporters cheer for their team before the start of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Indian supporters cheer for their team before the start of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
