প্রকাশ: 06/01/2022
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said
on Wednesday it expanded the eligibility of Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE's
booster doses to those 12 to 15 years old.
The move came after a panel of outside experts advising the
CDC voted earlier to recommend booster shots of the Covid-19 vaccine be made
available for ages 12 to 15.
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
(ACIP) voted 13 to 1 to recommend that the US health agency support booster
shots for those aged 12 to 15 at least five months after their second dose.
The panel also said the CDC should strengthen its
recommendation for boosters for ages 16 and 17. The agency had previously made
the shots available to those teenagers, but had stopped short of suggesting
that all of them should receive the additional jab.
The CDC said in a statement it now recommended that
adolescents age 12 to 17 years old should receive a booster shot 5 months after
their initial Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination series.
Covid-19 cases in the United States have hit record levels
in recent days due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the virus.
Infection rates are surging as many workers and school children return from
holiday vacations, raising the prospect of overwhelmed health systems as well
as closed businesses and schools.
"Covid is overwhelming our hospitals and our children's
hospitals," said panel member Dr Katherine Poehling, a professor at Wake
Forest School of Medicine. "This is a tool we need to use, and help our
children through this pandemic."
Data from Israel's Health Ministry presented at the meeting
suggested that vaccinated children aged 12 to 15 who were five to six months
past their second dose were being infected at the same rate as unvaccinated
kids by the Omicron variant of the virus. After receiving a booster shot, the
infection rate dropped sharply, according to the data.
Dr Peter Marks, a top regulator at the US Food and Drug
Administration, said that it is reasonable to extend the boosters down to 12-
to 15-year-olds given the current surge in cases.
The FDA had authorized the additional doses for the age
group on Monday, but the CDC sign-off was needed before the shots can be
administered.
"This booster dose will provide optimized protection
against Covid-19 and the Omicron variant," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky
said in the statement.
Some scientists have expressed concerns about the booster
shots due to rare cases of heart inflammation called myocarditis that have been
linked to both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, particularly in young
men.
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