According to Bloomberg News, the US regulators have given clearance to Covid-19 booster of Pfizer Inc, the shot for young teens, thereby allowing greater access to add-on doses as parents across the world are striving hard to protect their children from the new variant of Coronavirus, omicron wave.
The Food and Drug Administration stated Monday that it has permitted emergency use authorization for kids belonging to age groups between 12 and 15 so that they could be given the RNA vaccine, which Pfizer has developed in tandem with BioNTech SE.
Aside from giving clearance to Pfizer boosters for the young adults, the agency also said that children that are immune-compromised between ages 5 and 11 could also receive a third primary Pfizer series shot 28 days after the initial 2-dose immunization.
Pfizer shares that surged last year since the company benefited immensely due to the demand of the shots that it developed worldwide, dropped 3.4% to $57.07 in New York.
Next, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel comprising experts will discuss how the shots might be dispensed and seek recommendations. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices might meet as soon as Wednesday.
Bloomberg News also reports that allowing access to a broader group of young adults will help in keeping the Covid cases low as the governments are keen on keeping the schools open. New cases have surged, and it is expected to reach its peak sometime in mid-January in the US.
The risk of contracting omicron remains higher in comparison to the other variants, despite being fully vaccinated. Studies have revealed that breakthrough infections due to omicron, which constitutes most of the Covid cases in the United States, and people who have not received a booster shot, are more likely to get infected. In December Pfizer said that a booster shot would restore protection to earlier levels.
Of late, the United States has witnessed a surge in the hospitalization of children that have contracted Covid-19. For the ones below 18 new hospital admissions have escalated 86% taking the count to 521 daily on an average for the week that ended December 31st, as per CDC data gathered.
Most of the kids that have sought admission into hospitals have not received their vaccines as per Rochelle Walensky, director of CDC. Kids below 5 are not eligible to get even a single of the three authorized vaccines in the United States.
According to Bloomberg News, few researchers have questioned the necessity of a booster dose among young adults since the adolescents that contract the virus do not suffer from severe symptoms. Also, myocarditis, a heart condition, was seen to develop in younger people administered messenger RNA shots.
The myocarditis-related risk appears to peak around 16 and 17 years, and data obtained has been consistent. However, cases have not been severe.
