Sunday, January 5, 2025

Third dose of Pfizer approved for children aged 12 to 17

third dose
Army Spc. Angel Laureano holds a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., Dec. 14, 2020. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation to approve booster doses for people ages 12 to 15.

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 Icron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants.