Asian Tech Press (Dec 31) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to approve the use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in children aged 12 to 15 next Monday, according to the New York Times, citing sources familiar with the matter.

And the U.S. regulator also plans to shorten the interval between Pfizer shots for adolescents and adults to five months, from the current six months, the report said.

The number of infections with the Omicron variant has increased dramatically in the United States. Data show that the Covid strain is able to break through the immune protection provided by two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, but that infection with the Omicron variant can be effectively prevented with a booster shot.

In recent weeks, the Omicron variant has hospitalized thousands of U.S. children, and calls for booster shots for children to be administered as soon as possible are growing stronger.

Some officials have noted that a portion of U.S. children are more than six months after receiving two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is scheduled to meet midway through next week, is reportedly voting on whether to make changes accordingly.