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CDC Panel Green-Lights Pfizer Booster For Some Adults While Newsom Mulls Vaccine Mandate For Kids 12 And Older

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A Center for Disease Control and Prevention panel of outside experts voted Thursday to allow use of booster shots for some adults first vaccinated with Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago.

CDC leadership still needs to sign off before boosters can officially be administered.

LA County Health officials signaled their support.

"The boosters really are appropriate at this point for people that have been designated by CDC and the FDA," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of LA County Department of Health.

Booster-eligible adults include those over the age of 65 and people 18-64 who are are at high risk for severe illness and have already received both doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The most common side effects are similar to the ones experienced from the first doses.

"Being 65 and having some medical issues, we both decided to get the booster with virtually no side effects, by the way," Stuart Siegel said of himself and his wife.

County officials said they did not expect any supply issues for those needing or wanting the boosters.

"With capacity to be at 130,000 doses a day, we ought not to have a capacity issue," Ferrer said.

Los Angeles Unified School Board, in a vote a few weeks ago, approved a vaccine mandate for most kids 12 and older in the district.

Now, Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is considering the same statewide mandate.

"It's now back on the table to get our kids vaccinated, 12 to 17," Newsom said.

Jenna Schwartz, who leads the group Parents Supporting Teachers and has an 11-year-old enrolled in LAUSD, said she supports the vaccine mandates.

"I have an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old. So, I have a child who can't be vaccinated and more so than that, there are immuno-compromised kids and adults out there who cannot be vaccinated. It's our collective responsibility to take care of our community," she said.

Parents opposed to the vaccine mandate say it should be their choice whether or not to have their children vaccinated, even though that choice potentially impacts other students, teachers and parents.

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