JUNIOR JAB

CDC Advisers Recommend Pfizer COVID Boosters for Teens

Teens ages 12 to 15 will be eligible five months after their second shot, pending CDC approval.

A panel of advisers convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that teenagers ages 12 to 15 receive booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to re-up their immunity as the more contagious Omicron variant surges across the country. The group of experts voted 13 to 1 that the teenagers receive a third dose of the preventative as early as five months after their second dose. The recommendation now goes to the CDC for either official adoption or decline. Roughly half of 12- to 15-year-olds in the U.S. are fully vaccinated and thus eventually eligible for the booster shot. Panel chair Grace Lee said of the decision, “We have burdened an entire generation of children, whether or not they’re infected, with the impact of COVID. Infection and transmission are impacting our ability for individuals to function.”