The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on Thursday, May 19, booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11, according to a report by NBC News.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky's final endorsement came hours after the agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 11-1, with one abstention, in favor of giving children ages 5 to 11 the Pfizer boosters at least five months after kids got their second dose.
Walensky issued a statement regarding the Pfizer jabs, saying "Today, I endorsed ACIP's vote to expand eligibility for Covid-19 vaccine booster doses. Children 5 through 11 should receive a booster dose at least five months after their primary series."
Omicron subvariants causing surge in COVID cases
Walensky's sign-off comes at a critical time as COVID-19 cases are surging yet again in the United States. The rising number of cases is fueled by the omicron subvariant, BA.2, and an offshoot of that COVID strain called BA.2.12.1.
Walensky said that vaccination rates for 5- to 11-year-olds in the United States have lagged behind other age groups, leaving children in this age bracket vulnerable to serious illness. According to data from the CDC, less than 30 percent of the 28 million children in this age group have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine
While kids are generally less likely than adults to get seriously ill from the deadly coronavirus, some still do. CDC data showed that more than 15,000 children ages 5 to 11 have been hospitalized and at least 189 of them have died because of COVID-19.
The CDC panel convened a couple of days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized booster shots for this particular age group.
Kids to be given 10 microgram booster dose
Clinical trial data that was presented by Pfizer representatives during Thursday's meeting showed a 10 microgram booster dose for kids ages 5 to 11, which is a third of the dosage given to people 12 and up. Data revealed that the booster shot raised antibody levels against both the original strain of the coronavirus, which has long been out of circulation, and the omicron variant.
The omicron variant wreaked havoc this past winter on the pediatric population, even among children who are vaccinated. Researchers from the New York State Department of Health reported back in February that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine offered little protection against COVID infection for children 5-11 during the omicron wave, though the federal agency found that it did still protect kids against severe illness.
A recent report by the CDC found that roughly 75 percent of kids 11 and under had evidence of an infection by February, up from 44 percent back in December. The high infection rate recorded among children led some committee members to consider whether two doses of the COVID vaccine plus an infection removed the need for a booster shot at this time, according to a report by Politico.
