FDA expected to expand COVID-19 booster eligibility for children ages 12 to 15

A third COVID-19 vaccine dose for U.S. children aged 12-15 could be approved in days or weeks, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky told CNN in an interview on Wednesday, according to a report in U.S. News & World Report.

When asked when children in that age group could receive a booster shot, Walensky said, "So the FDA is looking at that right now. Of course, the CDC will swiftly follow as soon as we hear from them, and I'm hoping to have that in the days to weeks ahead."

It is not known, however, that Pfizer and BioNTech SE—the only manufacturer whose COVID-19 vaccine is approved for kids—has formally sought FDA approval for a booster in children ages 12 to 15. Representatives for Pfizer and the FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the report said.

[Read more: FDA recommends Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11]

Third booster shots are approved for children ages 16 and 17 and all adults.

Questions over boosters for some older children come as the United States faces a new wave of infections from the omicron variant as cases reach a record high.

While U.S. officials have said vaccinations protect against serious infection and death with omicron, some children ages 12 to 15 are now more than six months out from their earlier inoculations.