A panel of independent experts recommended this Thursday to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the reinforcement of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in children between 5 and 11 years old.
The scientists assured that a third injection against COVID-19 of the vaccine from that pharmaceutical company would significantly strengthen the immune response of children against the virus.
A nurse holds a vial of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 and a vial of the adult vaccine, with a different color label, at a vaccination station in Jackson, Mississippi, on Aug. February 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)Rogelio V. Solis / AP
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off on the panel's recommendation shortly.
Children who received their second dose more than five months ago will be eligible for the booster.
The third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is already recommended for the rest of the population over 12 years of age.
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Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared Pfizer's children's booster for use at least five months after the youngsters' last injection.
But the CDC is in charge of taking the next step and recommending who really needs the shots, and its advisers debated whether all healthy children ages 5 to 11 would need an extra dose, especially since so many children got infected during the winter. when there was a wave of cases due to the omicron variant.
In the end, the committee pointed to growing evidence in older age groups that
two shots and a booster provide the best protection against newer variants of the coronavirus.
When children 5 to 11 years old can receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster
May 17, 202200:27
Vaccines may not always prevent milder infections, and ómicron has been shown to be able to overcome the defenses they produce.
But health authorities insist the shots still offer strong protection against severe cases of COVID-19 and help prevent hospitalization and death, especially after a third dose.
This is a developing story.
Please check back for updates.
