CANBERRA (XINHUA) – Australia’s medical regulator has provisionally approved COVID-19 booster vaccines for adolescents as young as 12.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Friday announced provisional approval for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for Australians aged 12-15, recommending that people in that age group get a booster six months after their second vaccine dose.
This decision follows the provisional approval granted to Pfizer for the use of COVID-19 vaccine as a booster in individuals 18 years and older on October 26, 2021 and in individuals 16 and 17 years old on January 27, said TGA.
It is the first vaccine approved for the age cohort but must also receive approval from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) before it can be rolled out.
Regulatory approval of the booster dose for this age group has also been granted in Israel, Britain and the United States, TGA said.
“ATAGI will provide advice shortly on whether this vaccine should be included in the COVID-19 Vaccine programme as the final step in the two green light approval process.” According to the data from the Department of Health, so far about 68.6 per cent of the eligible population had received booster vaccines.
