On Monday, January 3, the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 booster dose for children as young as 12. 

With the new Omicron variant becoming increasingly prevalent, as it is delineated as more highly transmissible than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, the health of many adolescents, who were once ineligible to receive the booster shot, had been compromised. The CDC speculated that anyone who contracts the Omicron variant, even if vaccinated or not showing symptoms, can still spread it to others. Although this information, disclosed by the CDC, may not be entirely surprising when considering the notoriety of COVID-19 variants, it is exceedingly alarming. 

On Sunday, January second, the country set a record for total pediatric patients hospitalized, confirmed, or suspected, with COVID-19. The necessity to not only get fully vaccinated, but to also receive the booster shot, has never been as crucial as it is right now. 

Before making the decision that those between the ages of 12 and 15 will be able to receive the booster shot, the FDA collected factual evidence from Israel, analyzing the effects that the varying range of adolescents sustained after their doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. This information was gathered no less than five months following the teenagers’ two-dose vaccination series. 

After analyzing the reports accumulated by the FDA, a booster dose, corresponding to the already authorized vaccines, appears to be one of the most efficacious ways in preventing not only the development of these COVID-19 variants, including Delta and Omicron, but the transmission of them as well. As of recent data collected in the U.S., 62% of the eligible population is identified as fully vaccinated, with one-third having received a booster dose.

According to the CDC, statistics from the United Kingdom and South Africa have conspicuously divulged that the booster shot increases the efficacy of the standard two shots of the mRNA vaccine, against the Omicron variant, from 35% to 75%. The FDA has adjudicated that children, ranging in age from 5 to 11, will be considered eligible to receive the booster dose only after the reactions of 12- to 15-year-olds are observed. 

When being asked about the way she feels regarding the approved booster shot for 12- to 15-year-olds, sophomore Ariana Aray responded, “I feel that getting vaccinated and a booster shot is the best way to combat the virus, along with masking up. Therefore it’s important that more people become eligible for the booster, it’s our best weapon against COVID. If the CDC believes it is safe, then my family and I will agree with them, since they are experts and should be trusted. They know what they are doing and want to help the world the best they can. I 100% plan to get boosted. Again, it is super important in order to protect me, my family, and the world.”