US government advisers strongly urged that children 12 and older receive booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible, a key action as the country grapples with a spike in cases driven by the variant. omicron and schools debate how to resume classes amid the outbreak.
All Americans age 16 and older are eligible for the booster dose, which health authorities say offers the best chance of avoiding the extremely contagious omicron variant. A few days ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an additional dose of the vaccine developed by Pfizer for children 12 to 15 years old, but that was not the last hurdle.
The country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are in charge of making recommendations for vaccination. On Wednesday, his advisers determined that a booster dose was safe for teens ages 12 to 15 and should be offered to them after enough time - five months - has passed since their last dose. And while the CDC opened the booster dose option for 16- and 17-year-olds last month, the panel said that recommendation should be toughened to say they âshouldâ get the extra dose.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky will weigh the panel's recommendation before making a final decision.
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