CDC backs Pfizer boosters for 12- to 15-year-olds amid omicron surge

Children ages 12 to 15 are now eligible for Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid booster shots, giving them an extra dose of protection as they return to school amid an unprecedented surge of infections across the U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday recommended the booster shot for younger adolescents at least five months after their second dose.

“It is critical that we protect our children and teens from COVID-19 infection and the complications of severe disease,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement Wednesday evening. “This booster dose will provide optimized protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.”

Earlier Wednesday, the CDC’s independent committee of vaccine experts voted overwhelmingly in favor of lowering the eligibility age for Pfizer boosters to children who are 12 to 15 years old. The CDC had previously backed the boosters for 16- and 17-year-old teenagers in December.