CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky insisted Friday she didn’t overrule a vaccine advisory committee by expanding the agency’s approval of Pfizer’s Covid boosters to include a proposal rejected by the panel.

In an unusual move, Walensky broke from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which voted 9-6 Thursday against authorizing vaccines for those in high-risk transmission environments. Walensky adopted the panel’s three other recommendations to distribute third shots to adults with underlying medical conditions and everyone 65 and older. According to her, the “scientific close call” was made after she said that the final vote which cleared additional doses for teachers, nurses, and other critical employees was an unscientific one.

Walensky, a White House Covid briefing participant said that “I don’t overrule any advisory committee.” “I listened carefully to all the FDA advisory panel proceedings. I also listened intently as this extraordinary group of scientists deliberated over hours on some of these difficult science questions.

Walensky’s directive aligns closely with the Food and Drug Administration’s Wednesday ruling on boosters. That agency similarly bucked advice from its panel of scientific advisors by authorizing the shots for a broader audience than endorsed by its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.

Walensky stated that “this was a scientific close-call”, referring to the two-day meeting, and vigorous debate. Walensky declared that it was his call and called for a split vote. Walensky said that if I was in the room, I would vote yes.

To reaffirm public confidence, she encouraged the people to listen and go back to hear the proceedings of her committee. She said, “We did this publicly. We did it transparently. And we did it together with the most respected scientists in the nation.”

President Joe Biden said the CDC’s recommendation expanded boosters to approximately 60 million Americans – including educators, health-care personnel and supermarket employees – at a briefing Friday morning. Walensky explained that the wider criteria for boosters better protects frontline workers, and compensates for differences in vaccination administration that can affect people of colour.  

Walensky stated, “I am also conscious of thedisproportionate effect this pandemic had on racial or ethnic minority communities.” Walensky stated that many of the frontline workers and essential workers in our congregate setting come from areas already hardest affected.

According to her, withholding boosters to these groups would only increase the inequality in the pandemic which has caused Black and Hispanic Covid victims to die at higher rate than the whites.

The CDC reports that more than 55% of Americans are current vaccinated and that over 2.4million people have had boosters given to them since Aug. 13 when the agency allowed for those with compromised immune systems.

Walensky said the agency would work to quickly assess the booster data from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson in the weeks ahead.

“We intend to have numerous advisory panels at the CDC to examine many upcoming decisions including Moderna, J&J, as well as pediatric vaccination,” Walensky said.