Pfizer asked U.S. regulators to authorize itsCOVID-19 vaccine booster shots for older teens as the Omicron variant of the virus continues to spread worldwide.
The drugmaker applied for emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their booster shots in children aged 16 or 17 on Tuesday.
Currently, Pfizer's third dose is available for all adults six months after receiving their final dose.
If approved by the FDA, this would be the first booster shot available to Americans under 18.
The push comes as President Joe Biden warned the nation Monday about the Omicron variant, saying it was 'a cause for concern, not a cause for panic'.
Pfizer is seeking FDA authorization for COVID-19 booster shots for older teens as the omicron variant of the virus continues to spread worldwide. Pictured: A man in Staten Island, New York, receives a shot of a COVID-19 vaccine on August 10
'Today, we submitted a request to the [FDA] to expand the emergency use authorization of a booster dose of our COVID-19 vaccine to include 16- and 17-year-olds' Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla wrote on Twitter.
'It is our hope to provide strong protection for as many people as possible, particularly in light of the new variant.'
Sources familiar with the matter - speaking anonymously - told The Washington Post regulators are expected to sign off on authorization as early as in one week.
This assertion mirrors claims made by Biden who said he is making an effort to eliminate all roadblocks as officials battle Omicron.
While the president claims health expert don't expect a new vaccine will be necessary to combat the variant, he will fast track that process if it becomes needed.
'Dr Fauci believes that the current vaccines provide at least some protection against the new variant and that boosters strengthen that protection significantly,' Biden said.
'I will also direct the FDA and the CDC to use the fastest process available without cutting any corners for safety to get such vaccines approved and on the market if needed.
He added: 'Look, I'm sparing no effort at removing roadblocks to keep the American people safe.'
The drug-maker applied for regulatory authorization for the booster shot of their vaccine this week. If approved, children aged 16 and 17 would be able to receive the jab. It would be the first booster shot available to anyone under 18
The push comes as President Joe Biden warned the nation Monday about the Omicron variant, saying it was 'a cause for concern, not a cause for panic'
Biden also encouraged eligible Americans to get vaccinated and receive their booster shots.
The CDC also called on all Americans aged 18 and up to get their booster Monday, having previously advised that only adults aged 50 and up should receive their booster injection.
'You have to get your vaccine. You have to get the shot. You have to get the booster,' Biden added.
'Sooner or later we’re going to see new cases of this variant here in the United States.'
He continued: 'The best protection against this new variant or any of the of the various ones out there ... is getting fully vaccinated. As additional protection, please wear your masks indoors in public settings around other people.'
Currently, Americans ages 18+ are eligible to get a booster jab six months after having received their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
Those who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson shot can also get their booster two months after their initial dose.
The omicron variant of COVID has yet to be detected in the United States. It is also unclear how much of a threat it will pose
The new variant has around 50 mutations and more than 30 of them are on the spike protein. The current crop of vaccines trigger the body to recognize the version of the spike protein from older versions of the virus. But the mutations may make the spike protein look so different that the body's immune system struggles to recognize it and fight it off
Meanwhile, the Omicron variant of COVID has yet to be detected in the United States. It is also unclear how much of a threat it will pose.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the new variant poses a 'severe' risk to the world's pandemic recovery and the odds of it being infectious enough to spread quickly are 'very high.'
Omicron, which was first identified in South Africa but is thought to have originated in Botswana, is the most-mutated form of the coronavirus yet found.
The new variant has around 50 mutations and more than 30 of them are on the spike protein.
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