Advisers to the United States government strongly urged that children 12 and older receive booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible, to help combat the highly contagious omicron variant that plagues the country.
Booster doses were already recommended for all Americans 16 and older, but on Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved an additional shot of Pfizer’s vaccine for teens. younger – 12 to 15 years old – and stressed their recommendation that 16 and 17 year olds also receive a new dose.
“It is crucial that we protect our children and adolescents from COVID-19 infections and the complications of serious illness,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, in a statement released Wednesday night.
“This booster dose will provide optimal protection against COVID-19 and the omicron variant. I encourage all parents to keep their children up-to-date with the CDC’s recommendations on vaccines against COVID, ”he reiterated.
Vaccines still offer strong protection against serious illness caused by any type of COVID-19, including omicron, something experts say is their main benefit.
But the most recent mutation in the virus can break through a layer of vaccine protection and cause moderate infections.
Studies show that an additional dose boosts, at least temporarily, the antibodies that fight the virus to levels that offer the best chance of avoiding symptoms, including omicron.
The CDC’s independent panel of scientific advisers debated whether the booster dose should be an option for younger teens, who don’t typically get as severely ill from COVID-19 as adults, or be recommended more strongly.
Giving teens a booster for a temporary increase in their protection against infection is only a minor advance, and the problem will resurface on the other hand, warned Dr. Sarah Long of Drexel University, who is also a consultant to the CDC.
However, he said the extra dose is worth it to help combat the omicron variant and protect children from missing school and other problems that arise even with a moderate case of COVID-19.
More importantly, if a child with a moderate infection infects a more vulnerable parent or grandparent who eventually dies, the impact is “totally overwhelming,” said Dr. Camille Kotton of Massachusetts General Hospital, who is also a member of the panel. .
The vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech is the only option for American children of any age.
–
