COVID Booster For MD Kids Gets FDA OK: What To Know

MARYLAND — As the latest coronavirus omicron variant pushes cases and deaths up in Maryland, children ages 5 to 11 could soon be able to receive COVID-19 booster shots around the country.

The FDA amended the emergency authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Tuesday, authorizing the booster dose for kids between 5-11. It’s the first step in a process that could make the shots available to Maryland’s kids later this week.

Gov. Larry Hogan continues to urge residents who quality to become immunized and get boosters.

On Friday he tweeted, "Today, the First Lady and I received our second COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. If you are now eligible for a second booster, we encourage you to get one at your local pharmacy or any of the hundreds of providers across the state. Find a provider at http://covidvax.maryland.gov."

Under the FDA authorization, the booster can be given at least five months after the kids completed the initial vaccine series.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of outside experts, is expected to sanction the boosters Thursday, and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to give her approval soon after.

At the same time, the federal government is giving away a third round of free COVID-19 tests. The program now offers eight tests to be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

Health experts say the new subvariant, known as BA.2.12.1, is particularly worrisome because it is more transmissible than other highly contagious omicron subvariants, and because it’s able to evade antibodies built up from vaccines or previous infections.

According to the CDC, Maryland, Virginia and DC are seeing more cases of the new BA.2.12.1 variant than other types of the coronavirus. As of May 14, 56.1 percent of the COVID cases in those states are the new variant; 46.3 percent of cases are the earlier BA.2 variant; and .3 percent are the B.1.1.529 variant.

The Maryland COVID dashboard said Tuesday the state's positivity rate is 8.02 percent, an increase of .37 percent in the past 24 hours.

In total, the pandemic has taken the lives of 14,277 Marylanders, with 18 deaths in the last day.

On Tuesday, 403 people were hospitalized with COVID, an increase of 39 patients from the day before.

Residents can schedule a COVID vaccination or booster near them via the state's portal.

Pfizer-BioNTech said last month that a clinical trial involving 140 children showed the booster shot improves children’s immunity both against the original strain of the coronavirus and the omicron variant.

The effectiveness of vaccines wanes over time, and children between 5 and 11 would become the youngest Americans eligible to get the extra level of protection with the approval of the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration.

That leaves children under 5 as the only Americans for whom vaccines are not available. Both Pfizer and Moderna have clinical trials underway to determine the best vaccine regimen for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

Pfizer paused its application for approval of the vaccine for children under 5 after the FDA asked for more data. Moderna has asked regulators to approve vaccines for young children.

In March, regulators approved a second COVID-19 booster shot for people 50 and older.