COVID Booster Shots For Kids 5-11: What It Means In New York

NEW YORK — Children ages 5 to 11 in New York could soon get COVID-19 booster shots as a descendant of the omicron variant causes an uptick in cases around the country.

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

Under the 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 data provided by the CDC, in New York State, as of the time period between May 8 and May 14, the BA.2.12.1 variant comprised most of the new cases, at 73.1 percent, with the BA.2 variant accounting for 26.8 percent, and the B.1.1.529 variant, 0.1 percent. The delta variant, B.1.617.2, was not an issue at 0.0 percent.

On Friday, with the numbers of new cases of COVID-19 spiking across Long Island and across New York, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elevated the risk of transmission to "high" in many counties, including both Suffolk and Nassau Counties — with officials urging people to once again mask up in all indoor locations.

The CDC urged individuals to wear a mask indoors in public and on public transportation; stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines; and get tested if you have symptoms.

However, whether or not the recommendation will be enforced remains to be seen: The only places where New Yorkers currently are mandated to wear a mask are in public transportation hubs such as airports, homeless shelters, jails, nursing homes and hospitals.

As the nation marked 1 million deaths due to COVID-19 last week week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, herself diagnosed with COVID-19, encouraged every New Yorker over 5 to get vaccinated, and everyone over 12 to get boostered, if eligible.

"These tools have made the difference, which is why it's critical that Congress pass additional federal funding to ensure that we are prepared to respond to COVID-19 in the future," she said.

New York's numbers continue to tick upward: As of Monday, New York's positivity rate stood at 10.01 percent, compared to 4.77 percent on April 5. On Long Island, that percentage stood at 13.49 percent, up from 8.69 percent on May 5 and 3.13 percent on April 5.

A total of 30 deaths were reported Monday over a 24-hour period, according to statistics provided by New York State.

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.