CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccine boosters down to age 12

Millions of Americans between the ages of 12 and 15 can now get a booster shot of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, after the CDC formally adopted new recommendations backed by a majority of the agency's outside vaccine advisers. 

The CDC now says that Americans as young as 12 who received Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine should receive a third dose as early as five months after their first two shots. The agency's officials said that enough time has passed for around 5 million adolescents to be eligible.

Currently, a little more than half of Americans in this age group are fully vaccinated. 

"This booster dose will provide optimized protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. I encourage all parents to keep their children up to date with CDC's COVID-19 vaccine recommendations," said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky in a statement.

Walensky's move follows a similar decision by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday. Under federal supply agreements governing use of the shots, vaccinators must wait for both the FDA and CDC's sign-off before expanding booster shot eligibility.