On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech booster shot for 16 and 17 year olds to combat the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, as well as the Delta variant and emerging Omicron variant.
“Vaccination and getting a booster when eligible, along with other preventive measures like masking and avoiding large crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, remain our most effective methods for fighting COVID-19,” Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in the statement. “As people gather indoors with family and friends for the holidays, we can’t let up on all the preventive public health measures that we have been taking during the pandemic. With both the delta and omicron variants continuing to spread, vaccination remains the best protection against COVID-19.”
On Nov. 19, the FDA authorized the use of a single-dose booster shot for all individuals aged 18 and older. Individuals are allowed to “mix and match” a booster with any FDA-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement that new evidence shows that the primary COVID-19 vaccine dosage wanes. He explained that this is why adults who are eligible for a booster should get one six months after the completion of their primary vaccination dose.
“The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available to individuals 16 years of age and older for nearly a year, and its benefits have been shown to clearly outweigh potential risks,” Marks said. “Since we first authorized the vaccine, new evidence indicates that vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 is waning after the second dose of the vaccine for all adults and for those in the 16- and 17-year-old age group. A single booster dose of the vaccine for those vaccinated at least six months prior will help provide continued protection against COVID-19 in this and older age groups.”
Children under 16 are not eligible for booster shots yet. In October, the FDA authorized the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
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