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November 30, 2021 – Pfizer and BioNTech plan to apply for FDA approval this week for a booster vaccine against COVID-19 for 16- and 17-year-olds.
“We look forward to sharing updates on this soon,” said Keith Longley, a Pfizer spokesman. The Washington Post.
The FDA may allow the additional dose within a week. If approved, the additional injection will be the first booster approved for people under 18 years of age.
“Given the current overall pandemic situation, the FDA will evaluate each one [emergency use authorization] request very timely, “the agency told the newspaper.
As countries around the world move toward the new version of Omicron, health officials have called for people to be vaccinated – and for fully vaccinated people to receive their booster vaccines. On Monday, President Joe Biden called vaccines “the best protection against this new option or one of the options out there.”
The Omicron variant has not yet been discovered in the United States, although Biden administration officials have said in recent days that it is expected to spread around the world. As of Tuesday morning, 14 countries had reported more than 180 cases of GISAID, a global database for genomic sequencing of viruses.
Federal regulators cite the latest data from Israel on booster vaccines as a guarantee of allowing booster doses for 16- and 17-year-olds, the newspaper said. Studies show that serious side effects in younger people are uncommon and mild.
Extending the age range for booster vaccines “before Omicron strikes can potentially help and certainly won’t hurt,” said Jean Marazzo, a doctor of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Post.
On November 19, the FDA approved Pfizer and Moderna booster vaccines for people 18 and older. All adults who have received a single Johnson & Johnson vaccine are also entitled to a booster.
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