Last week, Pfizer sought approval for COVID-19 boosters in kids age 5-11 — but are they necessary? Experts weigh in.
by 36 times in children of this age group, not every public health official is convinced that another shot is needed yet in younger children.No expert told TODAY they were worried about the safety of boosters in kids, but several questioned timing for boosters and whether they are necessary as an emergency-authorized tool at this stage in the pandemic.
Dr. John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine, offered a similar take. “It’s likely that the first two doses are already sufficient to protect the children against severe, hospital-grade infections or worse. The booster dose may not add much extra protection here,” he said. Other public health officials said that boosters in kids are important for a variety of reasons.
Dr. Erin Abner, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health, added that COVID-19 is still concerning for children because there remains much that we don’t understand aboutDr. Yvonne Maldonado, an infectious disease researcher at Stanford who advises the American Academy of Pediatrics and has helped test the vaccine for Pfizer, praised what she’s seen regarding the efficacy of boosters in this age group.