CDC signs off on Pfizer Covid booster for kids 5-11

 While children are generally less likely than adults to get seriously ill from Covid, some do: more than 15,000 children ages 5 to 11 have been hospitalized and at least 189 of them have died, CDC data shows. Clinical trial data presented by Pfizer representatives at Thursday's meeting showed a 10 microgram booster dose for children 5-11 — a third of the dosage given to people 12 and up — raised antibody levels against both the omicron variant and the original strain of the coronavirus, which has long been out of circulation.
The omicron variant tore through the pediatric population this past winter, even among the vaccinated. In February, researchers from the New York State Department of Health reported that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine offered little protection against infection for children 5-11 during the omicron wave, though the CDC found it did still protect against severe illness.
A recent CDC report found that roughly 75 percent of children 11 and under had evidence of an infection by February, up from 44 percent in December.

The high infection rate among children led some committee members to consider whether two doses of the vaccine plus an infection obviated the need for a booster shot at this time.