A teenager is getting a vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration expanded eligibility for Pfizer and BioNTech's booster shot to people who are 16 and 17 years old at least six months after their primary vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech released initial lab data indicating that booster shots provide high levels of protection against the highly mutated omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19.
The initial two-dose series of protection was found to be significantly reduced by omicron. The lab results show that the variant is comparable to the original strain of the virus, and that the Boosters fight it at levels similar to the two-dose series.
The acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a press release that they can't let up on all the preventive public health measures that they have been taking during the Pandemic. The best protection against COVID-19 is vaccination.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention needs to authorize boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds before they give the shots. The CDC gave the go-ahead for all adults to get booster shots.
The public health authorities in the US are calling for everyone who is eligible to get a booster shot because of the winter Covid surge and uncertainty about the future course of the Pandemic.
The efficacy of the initial two-dose vaccine series was declining before omicron arrived.
This is breaking news. You can check back for updates.
