In alignment with the FDA's Jan. 3 expansion of Pfizer-BioNTech's booster, the CDC has cleared boosters for 12- to 15-year olds.
The CDC now also recommends 12- to 17-year olds (those 16 and older became eligible for boosters Dec. 9.) receive a booster dose five months after completing their initial vaccination series, instead of the previous interval of six months.
"Today, CDC is endorsing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendation to expand eligibility of booster doses to 12- to 15-year olds," Rochelle Walensky, MD, the agency's director, said Jan. 5. "CDC now recommends that adolescents age 12 to 17 years old should receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series."
The advisory committee reviewed safety data from more than 25 million vaccine doses administered to adolescents and voted 13-1 in favor of recommending expanded use of boosters among the population.
For moderate to severely immunocompromised children 5 to 11, the agency recommends a third dose 28 days after the second shot.
Pfizer's vaccine is the only one authorized for use among people under the age of 18.