The FDA expanded it’s emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 to include booster shots for teens age 16 and 17. They are eligible for the boost at least 6 months after the completion of the first two doses of the vaccine.
This expansion follows not quite a month after the November 19 approval of the booster for adults 18 and older.
“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,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, MD, in a press statement on the EUA’s expansion. “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.”
Adding to Woodcock’s remarks, Peter Marks, MD, PhD., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research added:
“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. 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.”
Candace Hoffmann, Managing Editor, BreakingMED™
Cat ID: 926
Topic ID: 79,926,933,926,138,44,927,928,934
