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CDC and FDA Expand COVID-19 Booster Recommendations to 16- and 17-year-olds

KPCW | By Michelle Deininger

Published December 9, 2021 at 4:00 PM MST

FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2021, file photo, Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center nurse Maggie Bass, right, injects a COVID-19 vaccine into an arm in Jackson, Miss. A survey of Americans on President Joe Biden’s plan to require most workers to get either vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19 finds a deep and familiar divide: Democrats are overwhelmingly for it, while most Republicans are against it according to a poll released Thursday, Sept. 30, by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster doses for everyone 16 and older.

Anyone 16 or older who received their Pfizer vaccine at least 6 months ago is eligible for a booster dose.

At this time, only the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for adolescents aged 16 and 17.

Dr. Leisha Nolen, state epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health, said “Booster doses give an extra layer of protection against COVID-19.”

Moving into the winter months, the state health department encourages everyone eligible for a booster dose to go get their shot so that they can have a safe holiday season. Dr. Nolan says “If you're someone who hasn't gotten a COVID-19 vaccine yet, please get one now.”

The Utah Department of Health recommends all providers begin immediately offering Pfizer booster doses to those who are 16 and older.

To find locations throughout Utah that offer COVID-19 vaccines visit coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine.