Pfizer, BioNTech Ask FDA to Authorize COVID-19 Vaccine Booster for Children Aged 5–11

An 11-year-old girl watches as a nurse prepares a syringe with a dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York on Nov. 3, 2021. Mary Altaffer/AP Photo

Pfizer and BioNTech have asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant emergency use authorization for a booster for their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years old.

Earlier this month, the companies released data from a mid- to late-stage study that they say shows a boost in antibodies from a third dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, providing increased protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.