By Staff, Agencies The European Union's [EU] health regulator backed giving a booster shot of Pfizer's Covid vaccine to those aged 12 and older, as well as the expanded use of Moderna's shot in children between six and eleven-years-old. The recommendations made by the European Medicine Agency's [EMA] Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use on Thursday will soon be followed by decisions by the European Commission.

Several EU countries already began offering booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine to teenagers.

Germany's vaccine committee in January recommended all children between 12 and 17 get a booster and other nations in the region followed suit.

The EMA said that EU member states' decision on offering boosters to this age group will need to take into account factors such as the spread and severity of Covid in this age group and the known side effects of the vaccine, Reuters reported.

Moderna's Covid shot is already approved for use in adults and children aged 12 and over in Europe.

In the United States, the Moderna vaccine was authorized as a two-dose regimen and booster dose for adults 18 years and older, however, the company has not yet won clearance for use in younger age groups