Coronavirus

Pfizer files for approval of boosters for children aged 5 to 11

booster pfizer
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On Tuesday, Brazil’s federal health regulator Anvisa received an authorization request from Pfizer to include recommendations for its Covid vaccine to be used as a booster shot for children aged 5 to 11. Pfizer says the additional jab should be administered five months after the second dose.

The agency now has a 30-day deadline to analyze the request. In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved booster shots for children 5 to 11. 

Newspaper O Globo reported that Pfizer is also preparing documentation to request its vaccine be cleared for use in babies aged six months and older. A similar request from a Brazilian firm licensed by Moderna is also on the way.

Brazil has not yet given its authorization for children younger than 5 years old to receive Covid shots.

Multiple states in Brazil — notably São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Rio Grande do Sul — have recorded an increase in hospitalizations and deaths of children with respiratory problems. While Covid is not the single cause of the hike, it is considered a major threat to children.