FDA clears updated COVID boosters for kids as young as 5

A healthcare worker receives a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot at Jackson Memorial Hospital, October 5, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A healthcare worker receives a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot at Jackson Memorial Hospital, October 5, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The US authorizes updated COVID-19 boosters for children as young as 5, seeking to expand protection ahead of an expected winter wave.

Tweaked boosters rolled out for Americans 12 and older last month, doses modified to target today’s most common and contagious Omicron relative. While there wasn’t a big rush, federal health officials are urging that people seek the extra protection ahead of holiday gatherings.

Now the Food and Drug Administration has given a green light for elementary school-age kids to get the updated booster doses, too — one made by Pfizer for 5- to 11-year-olds, and a version from rival Moderna for those as young as 6.

There’s one more step before parents can bring their kids in for the new shot: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends how vaccines are used, must sign off.

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