US extends Pfizer’s COVID booster jab to 16- to 17-year-olds Coronavirus pandemic News

The CDC’s recommendation comes amid fears that the new Omicron variant could lead to an increase in infections in the U.S.

The United States is expanding access to COVID-19 booster owners as the country faces a growing number of coronavirus infections and with growing concern. New Omicron variant.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday that it was “strengthening its booster jab recommendations and encouraging everyone over the age of 16” to receive a Pfizer-BioNTech additional shot.

The announcement was made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant emergency permits shortly after the third dose to 16- to 17-year-olds. Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine if at least six months have elapsed since their last ownership.

“While we don’t have all the answers about the Omicron variant, initial data suggest that the promoters of COVID-19 are helping to expand and strengthen support for Omicron and other variants,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

“We know that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and I strongly encourage 16- and 17-year-olds to be boosted if they are at least 6 months after Pfizer’s initial vaccine series.”

About 4.7 million young people between the ages of 16 and 17 in the United States are fully vaccinated, including more than 2.5 million teens six months after the second dose.

The move is increasingly concerned by U.S. officials that the Omicron variant could begin to spread rapidly during the holidays and cold winter months, when people move indoors and gather in groups.

But the contagious Delta variant is still causing almost all COVID-19 infections in the U.S., as the CDC has so far identified fewer than 100 cases of Omicron in the country. Winter activities have been one of the largest increases in new cases in the region where they have moved indoors, now averaging around 120,000 a day.

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden announced A range of measures to combat the virus’s recovery include wider access to booster ownership, including free corononavirus testing at home and additional travel restrictions.

The decision to extend the booster to 16- to 17-year-olds has been linked to the Pfizer-BioNTech shooting – and a similar vaccine by Modern – associated with a rare side effect called myocarditis – a type of heart inflammation most commonly seen. younger men and teenage boys.

But the FDA said the rise in COVID-19 cases meant benefits promoters it far outweighed the potential risk, mainly because the coronavirus itself could cause more severe heart inflammation.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only option for people under the age of 18 in the US [Brian Snyder/Reuters]

All American adults They are now eligible to receive booster shots of three U.S.-licensed COVID-19 vaccines.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only option for people under the age of 18 to get the initial vaccine or use it as a booster. It is not yet clear when or if adolescents under the age of 16 may need a third dose.

Vaccines for children five years old it was launched last month using special low-dose Pfizer-BioNTech shots. This week, about five million children between the ages of five and 11 received their first dose.

“The booster vaccine boosts immunity levels and significantly improves protection against COVID-19 in all age groups studied so far,” BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said in a statement.