The CDC is urging everyone 12 and older get a COVID-19 booster to help fight the Omicron variant.
“This booster dose will provide optimized protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant,” she said. “I encourage all parents to keep their children up to date with CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.”Vaccines still offer strong protection against serious illness caused by any coronavirus variant, including Omicron — which experts say is their most important benefit.
Earlier Wednesday, the CDC’s independent scientific advisors wrestled with whether a booster should be an option for younger adolescents — who tend to not get as sick from COVID-19 as adults — and, if so, whether it should be more strongly recommended. By a vote of 13 to 1, the panel came down in favor of encouraging the younger group to get the third dose.
Giving teens a booster for a temporary jump in protection is like playing a game of whack-a-mole, cautionedof Drexel University, a member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. But she said the extra shot was worth it to help push back the Omicron variant and shield kids from the missed school and other problems that accompany even a very mild case of COVID-19.
More important, if a child with a mild infection spreads it to a more vulnerable parent or grandparent who then dies, the impact “is absolutely crushing,” said panel member“Let’s whack this one down,” agreedThe vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech is the only option for American children of any age. The CDC says about 13.5 million children ages 12 to 17 — slightly more than half of that age group — have received two doses.
Wednesday’s decision means about 5 million of the younger adolescents who had their last shot in the spring or early summer are eligible for a booster right away. New U.S. guidelines say anyone who received two Pfizer doses and is eligible for a booster can get it five months after their second shot, rather than the six months previously recommended.