When an FDA advisory panel agreed Friday that only those 65 and older or otherwise at high risk of severe COVID-19 should get vaccine booster shots to bolster their immunity, Colleen Logan found herself left out of that equation.

The 60-year-old Walnut Creek kindergarten teacher worries that working with kids too young for the shots puts her at risk of the deadly disease. She hoped she’d qualify soon after President Biden last month announced plans for boosters starting next week, citing evidence the vaccines’ protection is waning.

But she took the panel’s recommendation in stride Saturday, trusting the experts have her best interest at heart as they hashed out whether boosters for the vaccinated will do more good than harm, a question that has divided the medical community.

“I think it’s fine,” Logan said as she left a Trader Joe’s market. “I’m not the FDA, so I think they know what they’re doing.”

The Food and Drug Administration panel of medical experts’ recommendation Friday wasn’t binding and applied only to the Pfizer vaccine, not those by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. But it was the first in a series of important regulatory steps that will continue next week with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee and was notable for its pushback against the president’s broad plan.

Medical experts around the country were divided in their responses to the panel’s recommendation. Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research in San Diego, said on Twitter there was “no good reason” to cut off booster recipients at 65 years old, and not 60.

Another expert, UC Irvine epidemiologist Andrew Noymer, was more direct, offering mock “congratulations” to the panel.

“You have signed the death warrant for thousands of Americans,” Noymer said in a tweet.

Others applauded the decision: Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, said on Twitter the panel’s vote was a “good result” and “clearly consistent with the evidence.” UC-San Francisco’s Dr. Monica Gandhi said the “decision makes sense to me,” noting “we often give extra shots or higher doses to older individuals.”

Many of those older individuals and their doctors who’ve been following reports of waning vaccine protection as the contagious delta variant ravages the country weren’t waiting around for the government’s blessing.

Melvin and Esther Mann of Walnut Creek, respectively 93 and 85 years old, said they followed medical advice that their immunity may have started to diminish nearly eight months after receiving their first round of vaccine doses. It was a no-brainer for the pair, who emphasized their trust in the guidance of experts, to get themselves third shots.

Melvin, whose 93rd birthday is in October, is optimistic the FDA can iron through the steps it needs to take. In the meantime, he and his wife enjoy folk dancing to keep themselves active and try to encourage their friends and family to get vaccinated when they can.

“I’m angry at all the people who are opposed to it,” Melvin said. “They’re causing us more trouble than it’s worth.”

WALNUT CREEK, CA – SEPTEMBER 18: Melvin Mann, 92, and wife Esther, 85, both of Walnut Creek, speak about an FDA panel’s recent recommendation for people 65 and older and those at high risk of severe COVID-19 to receive Pfizer booster vaccinations, Saturday, Sept 18, 2021, in Walnut Creek, Calif. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) 

In response to the FDA recommendation, California public health officials said in a statement they had already been actively preparing to deploy boosters and will begin administering them immediately once formally approved.

On the other hand, Alameda County Public Health said its focus remained on getting a first dose to the 23% of county residents who are unvaccinated while prioritizing boosters only for the county’s “most vulnerable” residents.

Earlier this week, Santa Clara County health officials promised residents that the county’s booster rollout would be smoother going forward than it has been to start.

As the boosters debate plays out, another teacher wrapping up a grocery run on Saturday said she felt confident her immunity from the Moderna vaccine is keeping her safe from COVID-19 and wasn’t worried the FDA panel didn’t discuss boosters for that shot.

WALNUT CREEK, CA – SEPTEMBER 18: Sixth-grade teacher Denise Reinsch, 53, of Walnut Creek, speaks about an FDA panel’s recent recommendation for people 65 and older and those at high risk of severe COVID-19 to receive Pfizer booster vaccinations, Saturday, Sept 18, 2021, in Walnut Creek, Calif. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) 

“We have teachers who have diabetes — I would want them to get the booster,” said Denise Reinsch, 53, of Walnut Creek, who keeps physical distance from her sixth-graders, some of whom proudly announce to their teacher that they will get vaccinated as soon as they turn 12.  “But I think the general population is feeling pretty OK. We’re not too worried. I personally don’t know anyone who isn’t vaccinated.”

Logan felt likewise. Though the San Ramon Unified School District teacher was disappointed at having to return to the classroom in the spring, a couple of weeks before she’d been vaccinated, she’s confident about her safety now that she’s had the shots.

“Since I’ve been vaccinated,” Logan said, “I feel safer in the classroom.”