By Michael Erman

(Reuters). A panel of independent experts advising U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), voted Wednesday to recommend booster shots. Pfizer Inc (NYSE:) & BioNTech SE(NASDAQ:) will provide the COVID-19 vaccination to children aged 12-15 years.

13-to-1 vote by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immuniization Practices, ACIP to endorse that the U.S. government support booster shots for people aged 12 to 15. This recommendation is at least five years after receiving their second dose.

Additionally, the panel recommended that CDC increase its recommendation for boosters for ages 16-17. While the agency has previously provided shots for those teens, the panel did not recommend that everyone should get the shot.

Due to Omicron, a fast-growing variant of the virus, COVID-19 has reached record highs in America in recent days. As many schoolchildren and workers return to work after holidays, the infection rates continue to rise. This raises concerns about overcrowded health systems and closed schools and businesses.

Panel member Dr. Katherine Poehling from Wake Forest School of Medicine said that COVID was “overwhelming our hospitals and children’s hospitals.” We need this tool to support our children during the current pandemic.

At the meeting, data presented by Israel’s Health Ministry suggested that Omicron-infected kids aged between 12 and 15 were infected at the exact same rate as those who weren’t vaccinated. The data shows that the rate of infection dropped dramatically after receiving booster shots.

According to Dr. Peter Marks (a leading regulator of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), it makes sense to reduce the number of boosters to 12 to 15 year-olds due to the recent surge in cases.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 Booster for 12-15-year-olds has been approved by FDA. The CDC still needs to approve the shot before it can be given. The boosters can begin immediately after Rochelle Walensky, CDC Director, is expected to weigh-in quickly.

Scientists have raised concerns regarding booster shots because of rare instances of myocarditis (heart inflammation) that are linked to BioNTech/Pfizer. Moderna (NASDAQ:) Vaccines are a popular choice for young men.

There is not much data about myocarditis from booster vaccines given to children between 12 and 15, but the FDA says that there has been evidence in Israel as well as the United States showing that there is a significantly lower risk for myocarditis among men between 18-40 years old after booster shots.

The Israeli Health Ministry reported that only two myocarditis cases were recorded in Israel from 44,000 Israeli adolescents who had received the third dose of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination.