Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease pediatric vaccine are pictured in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 5, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah BeierJan 5 - A panel of outside experts advising the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday voted to recommend booster shots of Pfizer IncThe CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 13 to 1 to recommend that the U.S.
"COVID is overwhelming our hospitals and our children's hospitals," said panel member Dr. Katherine Poehling, a professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine. "This is a tool we need to use, and help our children through this pandemic." Dr. Peter Marks, a top regulator at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said that it is reasonable to extend the boosters down to 12- to 15-year-olds given the current surge in cases.for the age group on Monday, but the CDC needs to sign off before the shots can be administered. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to weigh in quickly, allowing the boosters to begin as soon as this week.