Pfizer Plans to Seek Booster Approval for 16- and 17-Year-Olds

Nov. 30, 2021 — Pfizer and BioNTech plan to use for FDA authorization this week for a booster COVID-19 vaccine for 16- and 17-year-olds.

“We expect to share updates on this soon,” Kit Longley, a Pfizer spokesman, informed The Washington Post.

The FDA might authorize the additional dose inside every week. If permitted, the extra shot could be the primary booster permitted for these beneath age 18.

“Given the current overall situation of the pandemic, FDA will evaluate any such [emergency use authorization] request in a very timely manner,” the company informed the newspaper.

As nations world wide transfer to handle the brand new Omicron variant, well being officers have known as on folks to get vaccinated — and for absolutely vaccinated folks to get their booster pictures. On Monday, President Joe Biden known as the vaccines “the best protection against this new variant or any of the variants out there.”

The Omicron variant hasn’t but been detected within the U.S., although Biden administration officers have stated in current days that it’s anticipated to unfold across the globe. As of Tuesday morning, 14 nations had reported greater than 180 instances to GISAID, a worldwide database for the genomic sequencing of viruses.

Federal regulators have cited current knowledge from Israel on booster pictures as reassurance for authorizing booster doses for 16- and 17-year-olds, the newspaper reported. The research have proven that critical uncomfortable side effects for youthful folks have been unusual and delicate.

Extending the age vary for booster pictures “before Omicron hits can potentially help and certainly won’t hurt,” Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, an infectious illness physician on the University of Alabama at Birmingham, informed the Post.

On Nov. 19, the FDA licensed booster pictures of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for folks ages 18 and older. All adults who acquired the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine are additionally eligible for a booster.