On Wednesday, the United States cleared updated COVID-19 booster vaccinations for children up to age 5, seeking to extend protection before winter.
The modified boosters for those over 12 were released last month. These are doses adjusted to best combat the omicron variant, currently the most widespread and contagious. While there is no rush, health authorities have advised people to seek additional protection before holiday gatherings.
With the move, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the green light to elementary school children to also receive updated boosters, one made by Pfizer for children ages 5 to 11, and another by Moderna for those up to at 6 years.
Americans may be tired of repeated calls to beef up against COVID-19, but experts say the updated footage has an advantage: they contain half the prescription that targeted the original coronavirus strain and half the protection against the dominant versions of omicron BA. 4 and BA.5.
These combined or “bivalent” boosters are designed to boost immunity so that people are better protected against serious illness.
Up-to-date reinforcement is “extremely important” to keeping children healthy and in school, said Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Washington University in St. Louis.
Parents should know that “there is no safety concern with bivalent vaccines, both Moderna and Pfizer,” Newland added.
