The Wisconsin Department of Health joined the CDC in formally recommending an additional dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to serve as a booster shot for kids 12- to 15- years old late in the evening on Jan. 7. As a result, multiple healthcare providers in Northeast Wisconsin began administering those shots by Monday, Jan. 10.
“The approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for 12- to 15-year-olds provides another opportunity for more Wisconsinites to get additional protection from COVID-19 and the Omicron variant,” DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake said in a press release. “Being fully vaccinated and getting a booster dose is the best protection for preventing the worst outcomes from COVID-19. We encourage everyone ages 12 and older to join the more than 1.6 million Wisconsinites who have already gotten their booster or additional COVID-19 vaccine dose.”
The booster shot can be given at least five months after the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Prevea Health was ready to administer them before DHS announced their formal support for the CDC's decision, which came on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
“As we see pediatric cases rise across the country, it’s very important that we protect our children from COVID-19 infection. The latest data has shown that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are 7 to 11 times higher in unvaccinated adolescents, compared to vaccinated adolescents,” Dr. Ashok Rai, President and CEO of Prevea Health said in a press release. “We have the tools to fight Omicron and it’s critical that we use them. Please continue to wear a surgical facemask, get tested, vaccinated and boosted. We will continue make every effort to vaccinate our community members.”
Dr. Smitri Kare of Children's Wisconsin noted that booster shots are proven to improve immune responses to coronavirus in both adults and teenagers.
"One of the things to remember is that these vaccines are new for a new illness," Dr. Kare said in a press conference Monday morning. "One of the ways we establish a pathway to a vaccine schedule is understanding what doses are required. What we've seen from the data is the first two doses, teh primary series, are good. They have great response, and then it starts to dip. But when you get the booster, there's a significant immune response from your own natural immunity that gets heightened that gets you to protect yourself against the disease in your own way and also against the variants."
