U.S. FDA approves emergency use of 3rd dose for '16-17 year olds'

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United States, the average daily number of new corona cases exceeded 120,000 in two and a half months as the spread of Omicron and seasonal factors overlapped. While there are warnings that the fifth re-spread is in full swing, the FDA has expanded the target of booster vaccination to adolescents 16 years of age and older.

This news is Correspondent Kim Jong-won from New York.

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U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has urgently approved the booster shot for the third booster vaccination for adolescents aged 16 to 17 years.

Until now, only adults over the age of 18 could receive the booster shot, but this has been expanded so that adolescents can also be vaccinated.

Immediately after the FDA's decision, the CDC of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also immediately approved the additional vaccine much more quickly than usual, and the youth booster vaccination began immediately.

[Rochelle Wallensky / Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Currently, we are facing a mutation that requires stronger immunity. In this context, we have approved the booster shot for teenagers aged 16 to 17.] The

United States is in a state of emergency as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is rapidly increasing recently.

[Michael Osterhelm / Director, Center for Infectious Diseases Research, University of Minnesota: In several states of the United States, the number of confirmed cases has increased by more than 20%. This increase will spread to more states in a few weeks.] The

United States, which even President Biden is fighting the booster shot campaign, plans to expand the target by lowering the age range for booster vaccination.

[Rochelle Wallensky / Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): We will also review and expedite approval of the booster dose for children 12 to 15 years of age with the FDA.]

Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency is currently testing the second dose of vaccine 6 Although it is recommended to receive a booster vaccination after one month, they expressed the opinion that it is more effective to receive a booster shot three months earlier than this.