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Booster for Children
The approval by the Food and Drug Administration has brought boosters for children aged 12 to 15 in New Jersey one step closer.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children as young as 12 years old on Monday, expanding access to the third dosage of the vaccine at a time when COVID-19 daily infection rates are at all-time highs.
Adolescents and younger teens in New Jersey will not be able to get the shots right away. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is slated to make a decision on the extended access later this week.
Moreover, regulators approved a third Pfizer vaccination shot five months after the second dose, cutting the wait time for the booster by a month, and the boosters were approved for immunocompromised children aged 5 to 11.
Everyone over the age of 16 is already advised to get booster shots. In New Jersey, they're accessible at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, RiteAid, and a few local pharmacies. Here's where you can find a vaccine clinic
near you.
The news comes as New Jersey announces COVID case counts that are at all-time highs. The state recorded 29,740 new cases on Saturday, the most since the outbreak began. It's unknown how much of the recent increase in cases in New Jersey is related to omicron. The rate at which COVID-19 is spreading in the state, though, is "staggering," according to Gov. Phil Murphy.
Because the results of home tests are not included in the newest totals, the governor believes they are most likely an undercount.
"Testing is the greatest method for us to get a handle on this phase of the epidemic," Murphy added. "Once you've been tested for COVID and know your status, you can take the required actions and safeguards to prevent the virus from spreading further."
COVID- According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist and President Joe Biden's science adviser on the coronavirus task force, 19 illnesses are likely to grow throughout January.
Although preliminary evidence suggests that the omicron form is less severe than the delta variant, health officials are nevertheless recommending immunizations, masks, and physical separation.
Although vaccines provide significant protection against any form of the coronavirus, federal health officials advise that everyone who is eligible for a booster dose obtain one as soon as possible to avoid deadly COVID-19 breakthrough infections caused by the extremely contagious omicron variety.
Despite the fact that children's COVID-19 diseases are milder than adults', kid hospitalizations are on the rise during the omicron wave, with the majority of the cases occurring among unvaccinated youngsters.
The vaccine developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech is the only one approved for use in children in the United States. According to the CDC, almost 13.5 million children aged 12 to 17 — slightly over half of those eligible — had received two Pfizer vaccines.
