CDC advisers recommend Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for teens and young adults

A panel of advisers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted Wednesday to support a new COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for children 12 to 15 years old, according to NBC News.

• The panel — the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — gave approval for the booster shot, which would be given to those 12 to 15 years old about five months after their second dose.
• CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky could sign off on the panel’s recommendation in the next few hours, which would give health care professionals a chance to administer the shots, according to USA Today.

The Food and Drug Administration expanded the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Monday for children ages 12 to 15, according to CNN.

• The FDA approved the booster after data from Israel showed there were no safety concerns for the booster shot.

The COVID-19 vaccine booster shot has proven important in recent weeks as the omicron variant has surged across the country.

• As I wrote for the Deseret News, three COVID-19 vaccine shots provided the best strength against the omicron variant, which can evade COVID-19 vaccines, especially for the double vaccinated.