Pfizer requests authorization for booster shot in teens 16 and 17

Pfizer on Tuesday said the company and its partner BioNTech submitted a request to expand authorization of its coronavirus booster shot for teens aged 16 and 17

The move to expand eligibility comes as the Biden administration is exhorting everyone currently eligible to get vaccinations and booster shots to protect against the delta and omicron variant.

Currently, only adults over the age of 18 are eligible to receive a booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. They can receive the Johnson & Johnson booster two months after getting the single-shot vaccine, and receive a booster of Moderna or Pfizer’s shot six months after the second dose.

“It is our hope to provide strong protection for as many people as possible, particularly in light of the new variant,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla tweeted Tuesday in announcing the move.

The White House is grappling with how to respond to omicron, which has garnered much attention and anxiety, but without much information about it. Still, administration officials are continuing to urge vaccinations as the first line of defense, and then boosters.