COVID: Fauci says children and teens less likely to need boosters

Originally Published: 25 NOV 21 12:25 ET

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN

(CNN) — Now that the United States has rolled retired Covid-19 booster shots for each afloat vaccinated adults, immoderate parents person been wondering if oregon erstwhile their vaccinated teenagers mightiness request to get a booster dose of vaccine — and researchers are moving to person an reply soon.

Currently, a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech oregon Moderna coronavirus vaccines are recommended for each adults who completed the archetypal two-dose bid of those shots astatine slightest six months ago, and a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is recommended for adults who completed a azygous changeable astatine slightest 2 months ago.

It was astir six months agone — successful May — erstwhile the US Food and Drug Administration authorized the exigency usage of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for adolescents ages 12 to 15, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccine for this property group. Shots started going into arms soon thereafter.

“We don’t cognize yet if children volition request boosters. But we are actively moving connected the survey to reply that question,” said Dr. Flor Munoz, a pediatric infectious illness specializer astatine Texas Children’s Hospital, 1 of the sites successful Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine trials.

Munoz wrote successful a substance connection to CNN connected Thursday that “it is portion of the survey plan to travel children astatine assorted clip points aft receiving 2 doses of vaccine.”

The pediatric studies are underway and “data should beryllium disposable adjacent year,” Munoz added.

Adolescents mightiness request boosters astatine immoderate point, but “it is little apt that they will, due to the fact that your healthy, strapping teenagers person a overmuch amended and stronger immune effect than I bash arsenic an aged person. I gulp erstwhile I accidental aged but that is the truth,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, manager of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s John Berman connected Wednesday.

Coronavirus vaccines help the assemblage to make protection, oregon immunity, against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. That immunity tin wane implicit time, but a booster dose of vaccine helps to physique that immunity backmost up.

For adults, Fauci powerfully encourages anyone 18 and older who has been afloat vaccinated with the archetypal regimen to get a booster changeable due to the fact that of the waning immunity.

When it comes to immunity successful adolescents, “it whitethorn beryllium that they volition spell a overmuch longer play of clip earlier they commencement to wane,” Fauci said. “They person a precise robust immune system. So I would not beryllium amazed that they volition person a extortion that volition spell mode retired beyond that six months.”

While determination person been several caller studies documenting the waning immunity observed successful afloat vaccinated adults, determination has not been overmuch information connected immunity successful vaccinated adolescents implicit time. Having that information — specifically weighing the information and benefits of boosters for this property radical — tin beryllium adjuvant erstwhile considering if adolescents mightiness request booster doses astatine all.

“We don’t person capable information yet specifically connected the teen colonisation to urge boosters for each adolescents,” Dr. Saju Mathew, an Atlanta-based superior attraction doc and nationalist wellness specialist, told CNN connected Thursday.

“At this point, I americium not apt to personally urge that my teen colonisation get a booster shot,” Mathew said, since determination is that deficiency of information — paired with however children are astatine a little hazard of terrible Covid-19 than adults — and the mRNA coronavirus vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, travel with a small hazard of bosom inflammation successful young people.

“However, I bash person immoderate adolescents with underlying aesculapian conditions,” Mathew added.

“So, if a 17-year -old has terrible asthma, possibly cystic fibrosis, oregon immoderate benignant of underlying pulmonary information especially, I would hands-down urge a booster shot,” helium said. “But I’m not comfy giving a universal, wide proposal for each adolescents astatine this point, until we person capable data.”

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