CDC advisors recommend booster shot for children ages 5 to 11

“Vaccination with a primary series among this age group has lagged behind other age groups leaving them vulnerable to serious illness,” Walensky said. “With over 18 million doses administered in this age group, we know that these vaccines are safe, and we must continue to increase the number of children who are protected.”

Walensky also announced that the CDC was strengthening its recommendation that people 50 and older should get a second booster dose — a fourth shot in most cases — to be considered up to date on their coronavirus vaccinations. Previously, the agency said that older adults may get a booster. Immunocompromised people 12 and older should also get a second booster, she added.

“With cases increasing, it is important that all people have the protection they need,” Walensky added.

The CDC advisers voted 11-1, with one member abstaining from the vote, to recommend that 5-to-11-year-olds should get a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least five months after completing their initial two shot series. Children in that age group who are moderately to severely immunocompromised had already been authorized to receive a three-dose primary series; those especially vulnerable can now get a fourth booster dose. Eligible children can receive a booster immediately.

The guidance comes for a cohort for whom the protection of the two-shot regimen has been disappointing. Real-world studies have shown that vaccine efficacy rapidly waned in children ages 5 to 11, though it held up against severe outcomes. Data provided by Pfizer and BioNTech have shown that a booster strengthens children’s immune defenses, particularly against the omicron variant.

The advisers debated whether the CDC offer guidance that children “may” get a third dose, or whether they “should” get the booster. Most favored saying “should,” in part to be consistent with the recommendations for adolescents and adults.

“What we really need to do is be consistent and be as clear and simple as possible,” said Beth Bell, clinical professor at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health.

Others supported recommending the booster because the data shows that a three-dose vaccine likely offers stronger protection than a two-dose course.

“I’m concerned that the ‘may’ does not portray the urgency that we have overall with vaccines,” Katherine A. Poehling, a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at the Wake Forest…