Covid-19 booster shots authorized for kids, Chicago hospital to offer them soon

The FDA and CDC have authorized updated COVID-19 booster shots for children as young as five years old.

CHICAGO - The FDA and CDC have authorized updated COVID-19 booster shots for children as young as five years old.

On Wednesday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed off on the bivalent booster shots for children ages 5 to 11.

The updated vaccine adds omicron Ba.4 and Ba.5 spike protein components, targeting recent Omicron variants that are more transmissible.

SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 CHICAGO ON YOUTUBE

The decision came just hours after the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to the updated shots.

Dr. Bill Muller with Lurie Children's Hospital says especially as we approach winter, and children are spending more time indoors, the shot will offer added protection.

"The other thing to remember is we're starting to get into the season where people are spending much more time indoors and there's a lot more circulation of respiratory viruses. Children are in school and now that masking requirements are in some cases completely absent and in some cases just relaxed, there's gonna be more opportunities for the virus to circulate. So I think it makes sense to get vaccinated as soon as you can to get protection through the winter," said Dr. Bill Muller, Lurie Children’s Hospital Professor of Pediatrics.

Kids who are ages six and up are eligible get both Pfizer and Moderna shots, while kids who are five years old can only get the Pfizer shot.

Lurie Children's Hospital will be offering the updated vaccine boosters to children in that five to 11-year-old age group very soon.