CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted almost unanimously to support the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster for individuals aged 12 to 17.
As with adults, the recommendation applies to individuals who received the second dose at least five months in the past.
ACIP also recommended that the CDC bolster its suggestion that adolescents between the ages of 16 and 17 receive a booster dose. While the agency had allowed boosters for that age group, it has yet to recommend that all 16- and 17-year-olds receive a booster dose.
The COVID-19 case rate has hit record levels recently, hovering around one million new cases per day.
Assuming CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky agrees with the recommendations, adolescents aged 12 to 15 could be eligible to get boosters within days.