Coronavirus Watch: Latest study on Pfizer booster for kids 5-11

Pfizer and BioNTech say a booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccine provides a safe, strong immune response in kids ages 5 to 11, according to a new study from the companies.

Children ages 5 to 11 receive a 10-microgram dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, one-third the dose given to adults. In the study, they were given a third dose six months after the second.

The companies will soon ask the Food and Drug Administration to authorize booster shots for kids in this age group. 

Read more from Reporter Karen Weintraub here.

It's Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:

• Queen Elizabeth II, after her recent bout with COVID-19, empathized with patients, doctors and nurses at a London hospital last week.
• The first year of the pandemic greatly affected the number of STDs reported: A new CDC report shows cases of gonorrhea and syphilis rose in 2020.
• Some Shanghai residents were allowed out of their homes as the city of 25 million eased a two-week shutdown Thursday. 

See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 77% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 66% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

– Cady Stanton, Paste BN Nation NOW reporter, @cady_stanton