FDA expected to expand eligibility for Pfizer boosters to 12- to 15-year-olds

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The omicron-fueled surge that is sending COVID-19 cases rocketing successful the U.S. is putting children successful the infirmary successful grounds numbers.

During the week of Dec. 22-28, an mean of 378 children 17 and nether were admitted per time to hospitals with the coronavirus, a 66% summation from the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. The erstwhile precocious implicit the people of the pandemic was successful aboriginal September, erstwhile kid hospitalizations averaged 342 per day, the CDC said.

The promising quality is that the Food and Drug Administration is expected to grow eligibility for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to children ages 12 to 15 successful the coming days, CNN reports.

Chad Neilsen from UF Health Jacksonville says that’s a bully development.

“Getting this booster shot, peculiarly close now, is going to beryllium your champion stake astatine avoiding unwellness from COVID-19, peculiarly the omicron strain,” Neilsen said.

Ad

Neilsen tin hold with parents who whitethorn get absorption from children astir different shot. With back-to-school from the vacation interruption approaching, helium says it’s adjacent much important.

“It’s ever a hard merchantability trying to get kids astatine that property to bash truly thing overmuch little get different booster, peculiarly erstwhile there’s anecdotal stories of radical with breakthrough cases anyway, truthful that mindset for a batch of these teens mightiness be, ‘Well, everybody’s getting it anyhow with the booster — wherefore should I get a booster?’” Neilsen said. “But it is inactive important. We cognize that booster immunity is is benignant of the summons to trying to bushed backmost omicron, peculiarly from terrible illness.”

Neilsen says wellness leaders are watching the summation successful infirmary stays for children, hoping it doesn’t get worse than the highs seen past summer.

“We’re not rather definite yet if that is indicating that. You know, omicron is much unsafe successful kids. We don’t person a batch of grounds to amusement that yet, but it is building,” Neilsen said. “But it surely is simply a small spot alarming for america successful the wellness attraction tract to spot that pediatric hospitalizations are rising.”

Ad

RELATED: US children hospitalized with COVID successful grounds numbers

Almost 199,000 kid COVID-19 cases were reported during the week of Dec. 16-23, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. That was astir 20% of the much than 950,000 full cases recorded that week.

Doctors proceed to accidental that contempt a grounds fig of affirmative cases among children, the immense bulk truthful acold person been mild.

Copyright 2021 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved./Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed.

About the Authors: