Headline Roundup • December 9th, 2021
CDC Urges COVID-19 Booster Shots for Ages 16 and 17
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) formally encouraged 16- and 17-year-olds to get their COVID-19 booster shot as soon as they're eligible.
Roughly 4.7 million people ages 16 and 17 in the U.S. are fully vaccinated. Earlier Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency authorization for 16- and 17-year-olds to get the Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot once they’re six months past their last dose. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only COVID-19 vaccine currently available in the U.S. for people ages 18 and younger. CDC director Rochelle Walensky issued a statement on the agency's website Thursday saying that "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."
The news was covered prominently across the spectrum. Left- and center-rated sources often highlighted concerns about the Omicron variant and optimism that the booster will help against it. Coverage from right-rated outlets often highlighted reports that suggest Omicron is more mild than other strains of COVID-19.
Featured Coverage of this Story
USA TODAY
With the new omicron variant of the coronavirus spreading in the U.S., federal authorities are giving booster shots for 16- and 17-year-olds a strong endorsement.
Hours after the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized the extra doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents in that age group, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that those teens get the added protection as soon as they're six months past their initial shots.
“Today, CDC is strengthening its booster recommendations and encouraging everyone 16 and older to receive a booster shot,'' the...
(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)
U.S. health authorities again expanded the nation’s booster campaign Thursday, opening extra doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to several million 16- and 17-year-olds.
The U.S. and many other nations already were urging adults to get booster shots to pump up immunity that can wane months after vaccination, calls that intensified with the discovery of the worrisome new omicron variant.
On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization for 16- and 17-year-olds to get a third dose of the vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech — once they’re...
(Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images)
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...
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