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Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to LinkedinTopline The Food and Drug Administration plans to authorize booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, the New York Times reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the decision, as a surge in cases fueled by the omicron variant continues to increase nationally. 

People walk by a sign that reads, “Now available! COVID-19 vaccine” in TriBeCa on May 27, 2021 in … [+] New York City.

Getty Images Key Facts The FDA will announce the authorization on Monday, January 3, according to the Times. 

The agency will also shorten the period between the initial vaccines doses and boosters from six months to five months, allowing anyone over the age of 15 to receive their booster more quickly.

Booster shots will also be authorized for immunocompromised children ages 5 to 11. 

The FDA declined to comment to Forbes about the report. 

Big Number 68 million. That’s how many people in the U.S. have received a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, or roughly 33% of fully-vaccinated people. Nearly 62% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, meaning they have had their initial doses of the vaccine.  

Key Background The FDA authorized use of the Pfizer vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 15 in May and in kids ages 5 to 11 in October. Booster doses for adults 18 and older were authorized in November, and 16 and 17 year olds became eligible to receive booster doses in December. Though the definition of fully vaccinated does not currently include a booster dose, leading health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have urged everyone who is eligible to get the additional shot to combat the omicron variant. This month, Fauci said that the possibility of updating the definition of “fully vaccinated” to include the booster dose is “certainly is on the table and open for discussion,” though changes have yet to be made. 

Tangent In October, Moderna said it was notified by the FDA that the agency needed more time to study the possible side effects, like rare heart inflammation, of its vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 17.

Further Reading The F.D.A. will allow Pfizer boosters for 12- to 15-year-olds, say those familiar with the plan. (New York Times) 

Fauci Says New Definition Of Full Vaccination Is Not Ruled Out (Forbes)

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