According to CNET report, centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday recommended Vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 with booster injections , after the CDC's independent advisory group voted for a third dose of vaccine for young children five months after the second vaccination.
The booster needle, made by Pfizer and biontech, is one-third the dose of the company's adult covid-19 vaccine. On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization to Pfizer and biontech's covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.
All people aged 12 and over are eligible for a third or booster shot. In its statement, the CDC also strengthened its recommendation that all people aged 50 and over, as well as all people with low immunity aged 12, should be vaccinated with the second booster injection (or the fourth injection). Previously, the CDC's wording was that if these groups choose, they "can" give an injection.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, although booster shots are now available for children aged 5 to 11 in the United States, only 28% of children aged 5 to 11 have completed the primary vaccination of covid-19 series (two shots). About 35% of children of the same age have been vaccinated.
"The primary series vaccination of this age group has lagged behind other age groups, making them vulnerable to serious diseases. We know that these vaccines are safe and we must continue to increase the number of protected children. I encourage parents to keep their children informed of CDC's covid-19 vaccine recommendations," CDC director Dr. Rochelle walensky said in a statement
The recommendation comes at a time when covid-19 cases have increased dramatically in the United States, driven by a newer, more infectious version of Omicron. According to a CDC report, about 75% of children in the United States have evidence of covid-19 infection after a surge in cases of Omicron infection last winter.
"Although to a large extent, covid-19 is often less severe in children than in adults, in the Omicron wave, more children develop the disease and are sent to hospital, and children may experience long-term effects, even after the initial mild infection," FDA director Dr. Robert M. California said in a statement after authorization
When the FDA authorized booster shots for 5-year-old children, the agency said its decision was based on immune response data from an ongoing randomized trial that supported the authorization of major vaccines for younger children in October. The study assessed antibody responses in 67 children who received booster shots 7 to 9 months after the second shot. The study assessed the safety of booster needles in about 400 children. The side effects of booster injection in children are similar to those common in adults, including pain, fatigue, headache and fever at the injection site.
Prior to this authorization, the FDA did not meet with the independent advisory committee, which the FDA usually does before authorizing covid-19 vaccine or booster injections for specific age groups. The FDA said Pfizer's emergency use authorization request "did not cause additional discussion among committee members" that had not been resolved in other discussions on covid-19 booster shots. The agency indicated that it would make the documents related to the request available on its website.
Children under the age of 5 are still not vaccinated with covid-19 vaccine. The FDA has scheduled three dates next month -- June 8, 21 and 22 -- for its panel to discuss Moderna and Pfizer's vaccine authorization requests for infants and young children.