FDA Authorizes Pfizer Booster for Kids Ages 5 to 11

The FDA on Tuesday announced it will now allow the use of a single booster dose for children ages 5 to 11.

The booster will be given at least five months after the primary series, Fox News reports.

“The FDA is authorizing the use of a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 through 11 years of age to provide continued protection against COVID-19,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement.

“While it has largely been the case that COVID-19 tends to be less severe in children than adults, the omicron wave has seen more kids getting sick with the disease and being hospitalized, and children may also experience longer term effects, even following initially mild disease,” he added.