CDC expands booster eligibility to include teens ages 12 to 15

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded eligibility for booster doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents ages 12 to 15. The announcement comes days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the expansion to this age group, meaning that shots can now be rolled out immediately.

The agencies also authorized booster doses five months after full vaccination rather than the six month interval that was originally authorized. Additionally, they authorized a third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 with certain conditions that compromise their immune systems, including those who have undergone solid organ transplants.

“It is critical that we protect our children and teens from COVID-19 infection and the complications of severe disease,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky in a statement. “This booster dose will provide optimized protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.”

The FDA previously said that the data show that an additional dose may provide better protection against the Omicron and Delta variants and that real-world data from Israel’s vaccination campaign shows no new safety concerns for a booster dose in the younger teenage population, with no new cases of myocarditis or pericarditis reported to date.

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