Pfizer

The new recommendation for adolescents age 12-17 came hours after a panel of CDC advisers voted in favor of it. The boosters should be given five months after initial immunization.

The authorization comes in the midst of an explosion of COVID-19 cases nationwide driven by the omicron variant — a surge that has brought a spike in pediatric hospitalizations.

The new at-home COVID treatment is currently available in limited quantities to states and territories. Some states will get as few as 120 courses of treatment at first.

Pfizer and BioNTech, which produced the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S., say they will expand ongoing trials to include a third dose for children as young as 6 months old.

The research finds that the medicine, called Paxlovid, was effective in preventing hospitalization and death when taken by people with mild to moderate illness within a few days of symptoms.

Pfizer's CEO says the vaccine maker has asked federal regulators to authorize boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds. Currently, only people 18 and over are eligible for a booster in the U.S.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce later this week that it is authorizing boosters for people 18 or older, even if they aren't at risk for severe disease.

The agreement covers 95 nations, but it omits hard-hit countries such as Russia, Turkey, Brazil, and Mexico. Pfizer said it is seeking authorization for emergency use of the medication in the U.S.

About 3% of children in the age group authorized last week to get a low-dose vaccine will have their first shots by Wednesday, according to the White House.

After the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved a Pfizer vaccine dose safe for 5 to 11-year-old children against COVID-19, a pediatrician tells WLRN why parents and guardians should take kids in this group to get protected against the disease as soon as possible.

The companies say a study of more than 10,000 volunteers showed a vaccine efficacy of 95% or greater for people receiving the booster.

Based on the strength of the trial's results, Pfizer says it will ask the FDA for emergency use authorization rather than enroll more people for clinical trials.