Regulators in the United States on Tuesday authorized a booster vaccine against COVID-19 for healthy children ages 5 to 11, hoping the extra dose will boost their protection when contagion spreads again.
Everyone over the age of 12 was required to receive a booster to optimize protection against new strains of the coronavirus, while those over 50 can request a second booster.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance means elementary school children can get a third dose, as long as at least five months have elapsed since the second.
One last hurdle is missing: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must decide whether to formally recommend boosting for that age. CDC scientific advisers plan to meet on Thursday.
Pfizer’s vaccine is the only one available in the United States for children of any age. Those between 5 and 11 years of age receive a third of the dose applied to those over 12 years of age.
Parents have clamored for a vaccine for children under five, the only unauthorized group in the United States. Both Pfizer and rival Moderna have studied the effect of their vaccines on young children, and the FDA plans to evaluate the data from one or both companies next month.
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