Washington: The Food and Drug Administration on Monday extended the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 booster shot to include teens aged 12 to 15, paving the way for them to be eligible for the jabs later this week.
It is the first booster shot to be authorized for this age group.
The agency said that it found “no new safety concerns” following a booster shot in young teenagers, and that there were no new reports of two types of heart inflammation called myocarditis or pericarditis linked to the boosters.
The decision came as the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly across the US and has led to record high hospitalisations among younger people.
