The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday authorized a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of 5 and 11, extending booster doses to the youngest age group yet.<\/p>\n
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Experts have stressed the importance of booster shots for older age groups as a\u00a0key way\u00a0to increase protection in the face of waning immunity over time from the initial shots, as well as the increased evasiveness of the omicron variant currently circulating.<\/p>\n
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Now, children 5-11 will be eligible for boosters for the first time.<\/p>\n
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Data released by Pfizer last month found a 36-fold increase in the level of neutralizing antibodies against the omicron variant, compared to two doses.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThese data reinforce the potential function of a third dose of the vaccine in maintaining high levels of protection against the virus in this age group,\u201d Pfizer said then, adding: \u201cThe vaccine was well tolerated with no new safety signals observed.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Uptake a challenge:\u00a0<\/strong>Still, uptake for even the initial two shots for children 5-11 has been lagging, indicating that many parents will not get booster shots for their children either.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n