U.S. CDC recommends Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children aged 5-11

LOS ANGELES, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday recommended a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.

The CDC recommends children in this age group receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series.

"Vaccination with a primary series among this age group has lagged behind other age groups, leaving them vulnerable to serious illness," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

"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," she said.

The CDC also recommended those 12 and older who are immunocompromised and those 50 and older get a second booster dose at least four months after their first.

The recommendation came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday granted emergency use authorization for a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.