CDC Says COVID Boosters Now Available For Ages 5-11 [POLL]

© Scott Anderson/Patch The CDC gave its OK this week for children age 5 to 11 to get boosted with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The age group lags behind all others in getting it initial series of vaccinations against the coronvirus.

NEW YORK — On Tuesday, the federal Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine booster to include children between 5 and 11 years of age.

Three days later — on Thursday — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent advisory committee gave its OK for the booster shots to be given to kids 5 to 11, clearing the way for the shots to be available as early as Friday.

That means, according to a CDC news release, the agency "now recommends that children ages 5 through 11 years should receive a booster shot 5 months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series."

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CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that the 5-to-11 age group lags behind others in getting a primary series of vaccinations, leaving them vulnerable to serious illness.

"With over 18 million doses administered in this age group," she said, "we know that these vaccines are safe, and we must continue to increase the number of children who are protected.

"I encourage parents to keep their children up to date with CDC's COVID-19 vaccine recommendations," Walensky said.

The CDC also took the opportunity to strengthen its recommendation that those 12 and older who are immunocompromised and those 50 and older should receive a second booster dose at least four months after their first.

The news comes the week after the United States marked 1 million deaths due to COVID-19-related illness.

President Joe Biden reflected on the occasion by saying that the nation must remain vigilant against the pandemic and fight to save as any lives as possible with more testing, vaccines and treatment.

"One million empty chairs around the dinner table," he said. "Each an irreplaceable loss. Each leaving behind a family, a community and a nation forever changed because of this pandemic."

Now it's your turn to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.

The article CDC Says COVID Boosters Now Available For Ages 5-11 [POLL] appeared first on Yorktown-Somers Patch.