The US Food and Drug Administration OK’d a third shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids aged 5-11.
In a statement announcing the news, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said “while it has largely been the case that COVID-19 tends to be less severe in children than adults, the Omicron wave has seen more kids getting sick with the disease and being hospitalized.”
The FDA is authorizing the booster dose to be used in kids 5 and up who received their primary series of two shots at least five months ago.
Pfizer announced recently that its booster for kids significantly increased their level of neutralizing antibodies against the virus. Other studies have suggested that youngsters’ immune response to the 2-shot series may wane quickly, meriting an additional dose of the vaccine several months later.