Americans as young as 5 can get a COVID-19 vaccine booster after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 17 expanded …
Americans as young as 5 can get a COVID-19 vaccine booster after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 17 expanded emergency authorization for Pfizer’s shot. The regulatory agency expanded clearance of a third Pfizer shot to children aged 5 to 11 at least five months after their second dose. The extra shot is needed because of waning protection from the primary series, which is two doses, Dr. Peter Marks, head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. The data underpinning the move comes from just 67 children, who are part of Pfizer’s ongoing trial evaluating the vaccine it made with Germany’s BioNTech. Antibody responses were evaluated in the kids, all of whom received a third dose seven to nine months after getting a second dose. The level of antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19 “was increased” compared to before getting the booster dose, according to the FDA. All of the kids received a third dose seven to nine months after getting a second dose. Safety data from a group of about 400 children between the ages of 5 to 11 who received a booster also supported the authorization.
