The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that children age 5 to 11 receive a booster vaccine for COVID-19.
On Thursday, the CDC’s Director Rochelle Walensky said the decision was made after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to advise the agency to recommend the booster.
“Children 5 through 11 should receive a booster dose at least five months after their primary series. Vaccination with a primary series among this age group has lagged behind other age groups, leaving them vulnerable to serious illness,” she said.
The committee voted to recommend the booster after the FDA approved Pfizer’s application to expand booster access to include this age group.
Pfizer said data from its clinical trials of 4,500 children ages 5 through 11 showed it raised Omicron-fighting antibodies by 36 times in this age group.
The trial saw no new safety issues, according to the company.
Walensky advised parents to ensure their children receive the booster shots, assuring parents that “these vaccines are safe” allegedly because 18 million doses have already been given to children.
Although the CDC director said the booster shot is safe, some children experience heart inflammation as a side effect of the vaccine.
One infectious disease expert from the University of California disputed the need for children to receive these booster shots.
“There is no evidence that children 5-11 years old need a booster shot of the vaccine, nor of demonstrated benefit,” Dr. Monica Gandhi previously told The Epoch Times.
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf announced the emergency authorization on Tuesday. He mentioned COVID-19 has largely been “less severe in children” but noted there is concern the Omicron strain could cause children to experience the “longer-term effects” of the illness.
Califf based his opinion on a study in which 67 children participated. These study participants received the primary series, and seven to nine months later, they also received the booster shot.
