CDC Recommends All 16- and 17-year-olds Get COVID-19 Booster Shots

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday recommended every 16- and 17-year-old in the United States get a COVID-19 booster shot, provided their last vaccination was done at least six months ago.

“Although we don’t have all the answers on the Omicron variant, initial data suggests that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen the protection against Omicron and other variants. We know that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and I strongly encourage adolescents ages 16 and 17 to get their booster if they are at least 6 months post their initial Pfizer vaccination series,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the agency’s director, said in a statement.

Omicron is a variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19. Emerging data indicates it causes less severe disease than other variants, but that it evades protection from both vaccination and prior infection better than earlier strains.