sPhaser asked US regulators on Monday to expand the use of Updated booster shot for COVID-19 For children from 5 to 11 years old.
Primary school-aged children have already received child-sized doses of the original Pfizer vaccine, which is one-third of the dose given to everyone 12 years of age or older — two base shots plus a booster.
If the FDA approves, they’ll start receiving a child-sized dose of the new targeted Omicron formula when it’s time for a boost.
The FDA’s head of vaccine, Dr. Peter Marks, said last week that he expects a decision on boosters for this age group soon.
Pfizer and partner BioNTech also announced a new Omicron-focused booster study in younger children, ages 6 months to 4 years, to test different doses.
Updated boosts were rolled out by both Pfizer and rival Moderna earlier this month for everyone 12 and older. They modify vaccines that have already saved millions of lives – a “bivalent” kit or shot that contains half the original prescription and half the protection from BA.4 and BA.5 are relatives of Omicron Responsible for most cases of COVID-19 today.
The hope is that the revised reinforcements will help reduce ongoing COVID-19 cases and mitigate another winter wave. As of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 4.4 million Americans have received an updated booster dose to date.
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