US officials: boosters help protect against Omicron variant

U.S. health authorities are urging Americans to get COVID-19 boosters, as the U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration widens the eligibility for coronavirus vaccinations. "Although we don't have all the answers on the omicron variant, initial data suggest that COVID-19 boosters help to bolster protection against omicron," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a briefing Friday.

The U.S. and many other nations already were urging adults to get booster shots to pump up immunity that can wane months after vaccination, calls that intensified with the discovery of the worrisome new omicron variant. On Thursday, the FDA gave emergency authorization for 16- and 17-year-olds to get a third dose of the vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech.

And hours later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted the last barrier - saying those teens should get their booster as soon as it's time. The Pfizer vaccine is the only option in the U.S. for anyone younger than 18, either for initial vaccination or for use as a booster. It’s not yet clear if or when teens younger than 16 might need a third Pfizer dose.

Vaccinations for children as young as 5 just began last month, using special low-dose Pfizer shots. By this week, about 5 million 5- to 11-year-olds had gotten a first dose. The extra-contagious delta variant is causing nearly all COVID-19 infections in the U.S., and in much of the world. It’s not yet clear how vaccines will hold up against the  new and markedly different omicron mutant.

But there’s strong evidence that boosters offer a jump in protection against delta-caused infections, currently the biggest threat. Complicating the decision to extend boosters to 16- and 17-year-olds is that the Pfizer shot -- and a similar vaccine made by Moderna -- have been linked to a rare side effect.

Called myocarditis, it’s a type of heart inflammation seen mostly in younger men and teen boys. The FDA said rising COVID-19 cases in the U.S. mean the benefits of boosters greatly outweighed the potential risk from the rare side effect, especially as the coronavirus itself can cause more serious heart inflammation.

Health officials in Israel, which already gives boosters to teens, have said the side effect continues to be rare with third doses. A U.S. study this week offered additional reassurance. Researchers from children’s hospitals around the country checked medical records and found the rare side effect usually is mild and people recover quickly. The research was published Monday in the journal Circulation.