The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that children between the ages of 5 to 11 receive a third COVID-19 booster shot.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, gave the go-ahead for the recommendation Thursday, highlighting the safety and efficacy of the coronavirus vaccines, according to the Washington Post. The recommendation will allow for children to receive a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot.
“Vaccination with a primary series among this age group has lagged behind other age groups leaving them vulnerable to serious illness,” Walensky said. “With over 18 million doses administered in this age group, we know that these vaccines are safe, and we must continue to increase the number of children who are protected.”
As of Wednesday, 29% of children in the United States between the ages of 5 and 11 were considered fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times.
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To date, the U.S. has reported a total of 82,874,061 coronavirus cases and 999,607 virus-related deaths, according to the New York Times COVID-19 map and tracker.
