Explainer-What is the role of outside advisers to the U.S. FDA and CDC in vaccine decisions?

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Tami Chappell

(Reuters) - The U.S. CDC on Friday backed a booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older, adults with underlying medical conditions and those in high-risk working and institutional settings despite calls for a narrower scope by a panel of expert advisers that would exclude the latter group.

The following describes the role and scope of advisory panels to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.