The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says adolescents between 12 and 17 years old should receive a booster shot five months after their initial set of Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations, NPR reports.
Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 for adolescents, according to Stat News, which notes this is the first booster shot authorized for 12-to-17-year olds.
The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for 12-to-15-year olds in May 2021 and the vaccine was approved for individuals 16 years old and older in August 2021. But booster authorizations and recommendations had been limited to adults.
"It is critical that we protect our children and teens from COVID-19 infection and the complications of severe disease," Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, says in a statement. "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."