US expands Pfizer COVID booster, recommends extra dose for ages 16 and older

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Thursday that 16- and 17-year-olds get an extra dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. The decision marks the latest expansion of a campaign to get adults boosted as COVID cases rise and the Omicron variant looms.

The guidance announced by the CDC on Thursday comes after Pfizer and BioNTech reported that three doses of their COVID vaccine offer protection against the Omicron variant based on laboratory tests.

Even with the expansion of those who qualify for an extra vaccine dose, there's also the possibility of COVID-19 antiviral pills becoming available for at-home use in the future.