FDA Expands Authorization of Pfizer Covid Booster to Kids 5 to 11

By Will Feuer

The Food and Drug Administration expanded the authorization of Pfizer Inc.'s Covid-19 booster shot to kids ages 5 through 11 years old.

While Covid-19 tends to be less severe in kids than in adults, more kids have been getting sick and hospitalized with the disease amid the spread of the omicron variant, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said.

"If your child is eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine and has not yet received their primary series, getting them vaccinated can help protect them from the potentially severe consequences that can occur, such as hospitalization and death," he said.

On Jan. 3, the FDA authorized Pfizer and BioNTech SE's Covid-19 booster shot for kids ages 12 through 15.

Write to Will Feuer at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-17-22 1055ET