The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday backed the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to approve the booster dose for people aged 12 to 15 years.
As of Thursday, January 6, the CDC recommends that adolescents ages 12 to 17 receive a booster shot 5 months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series.
In a brief statement, the agency highlighted that the decision comes after data has shown that COVID-19 boosters help expand and strengthen protection against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The ACIP reviewed available safety data following the administration of more than 25 million vaccine doses in adolescents and concluded that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
So far, only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years.
“It is critical that we protect our children and adolescents from COVID-19 infection and complications of severe illness. Today, I supported ACIP’s vote to expand eligibility and strengthen our recommendations for booster doses. We now recommend that all adolescents ages 12 to 17 years receive a booster vaccine 5 months after their primary series,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
He also stressed that this booster dose will provide enhanced protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant in this sector of the population.
She also encouraged all parents to keep their children up to date with CDC COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
The news comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday, January 3, approved the use of the vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 years old, in response to a growing number of cases across the country, driven by the Omicron variant.
As millions of students return to school after the Christmas break, the agency also shortened the time between the second Pfizer dose and a booster shot to at least five months, with the expectation being that more people will come forward to get vaccinated.
“Based on the FDA’s evaluation of currently available data, a booster dose of the currently authorized vaccines may help provide better protection against the delta and omicron variants. In particular, the omicron variant appears to be more resistant to the levels of antibodies produced in response to the primary series doses of the current vaccines,” Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said at the time.
It is worth noting that the fourth wave of infections in the country has deeply affected the population and has caused COVID-19 testing spaces to become saturated.
In addition, hospitals are already beginning to be overwhelmed again due to those who need specialized care against the disease, most of whom are unvaccinated.
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