The CDC recommends a booster shot for 5-11s as new Omicron subvariants emerge

• A group of expert advisors to the CDC voted "yes" to a third COVID shot for kids 5-11 Thursday.
• The CDC director quickly signed off on the boosts, making them available to the public. But most kids won't be eligible, because they haven't had 1 shot yet.

Booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines are now recommended for everyone 5 and up.

An influential group of independent advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted near-unanimously to recommend a booster dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 on Thursday afternoon.

The CDC director quickly signed off on the move Thursday night, making boosts available to fully vaccinated schoolkids nationwide.

Experts hotly debated the merits of even bothering to endorse a third COVID shot in the 5 to 11 age group, at a time when fewer than a third of school-age kids are fully vaccinated with two doses.

"Only 30% have received at least one" shot, committee member Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot, the lone 'no' vote said at the end of the CDC meeting, pointing out how few kids are fully vaccinated against COVID.

"Boosters are great, once we've got everyone their first round."

Ultimately, though, doctors and nurses at the meeting by and large coalesced around the idea that three doses of this vaccine is better than two, especially now that new and highly-contagious Omicron sub-variants are circulating.

'I would give my children this booster'

"I'm very concerned about the BA.4 and BA.5 variants," committee member and infectious disease expert Dr. Camille Kotton said, referring to some of the newest Omicron sub-variants. "We really need optimal vaccine protection," she added, saying: "I would give my children this booster."

COVID-19 was the 11th leading cause of death among children 5-11 years old in 2020, and hospitalizations and deaths in kids, while still rare, have only gone up since the Omicron variant emerged. More than 180 children between the ages of 5 and 11 have died from COVID in the US. Pfizer presented data during the CDC meeting showing that a third dose dramatically improves childrens' immune response, bolstering their defenses against the virus.

Data the CDC released in April showed that vaccinated kids are better protected against severe illnesses: 87% of children aged 5 to 11 who were hospitalized with Omicron were unvaccinated, and the agency estimates that roughly 1,000 hospitalizations were prevented in the age group through vaccination.

Children are also more likely than adults to develop MIS-C, a rare heart inflammation linked to COVID. The CDC says 93% of MIS-C cases in 5 to 11s have been among unvaccinated kids.

Does my kid really need another shot now?

Dr. Sarah Long, a committee member, pointed out that a lot of children recently had Omicron infections, and it may be worth waiting three months post-infection to boost them, as the CDC recommends for improved immune response.

"I would say that all children 5 to 11 should at some time have a third dose," she said. "The timing of that dose depends."

Lynn Bahta, another committee member, and an infectious disease specialist with Minnesota's Department of Health, said parents should understand that third doses are probably on the horizon for all kids at some point — a regimen of at least three shots is already the gold standard for many other pediatric vaccinations.

"I keep struggling with the terminology of 'booster' dose," Bahta said. "I would hate to suggest that that third dose isn't necessary."

Arm pain is the most common side effect

Pfizer's kid-sized booster shot is the exact same thing as the two primary doses that children 5 to 11 already get, and it is only 33% of the amount of vaccine that adults and teenagers receive.

Pfizer presented data during the CDC meeting showing that the most common third dose side effect for kids 5 to 11 in trials was mild to moderate arm pain, reported in more than 70% of cases. Fatigue and headaches were the second and third most common side effects. 46% of kids who got a third shot reported fatigue, and 34% reported headaches, while fewer than 7% reported fevers, the company said.

"Children 5 through 11 should receive a booster dose at least 5 months after their primary series," 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."