Pennsylvanians ages 16 and 17 years old are now eligible to receive a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed the older teens can now get the third dose or booster six months after completing the primary series of two doses. The federal government approved third shots last week.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 first began to be rolled out last December. It has been proven effective and very safe across age groups, according to medical experts.
“The Department of Health urges all eligible Pennsylvanians who have yet to get vaccinated to do so immediately and for those people who are eligible to receive a booster shot to get that added level of protection as soon as possible,” said Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson. “It is great news to see booster eligibility expanded and we know providers are ready to offer more protection for Pennsylvanians.”
While three vaccines have been approved for Pennsylvanians ages 18 and over, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only one approved for those ages 16 and 17.
Vaccine providers in Pennsylvania and Bucks County are able to schedule booster shots and administer doses, state officials said.
Vaccination centers are also able to administer shots to kids ages 5 to 11.
“The pediatric vaccine is safe, and it is highly effective at protecting children against COVID-19-related illness, hospitalization, and death,” Johnson said.
Through early November in Pennsylvania, 90 percent of reported hospitalizations with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis/cause of admission were among unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people and 89 percent of COVID-19 deaths were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people, according to recently-released data.
For more information on vaccines and how to obtain one, click here.
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