NYC hits high COVID alert level as FDA authorizes Pfizer booster for kids

New York City was raised Tuesday to high alert level for COVID-19 transmission.
Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan is encouraging New Yorkers to return to wearing masks indoors again.
The news comes the same day as the Food and Drug Administration's approval for a COVID-19 booster shot for children ages 5 to 11. The booster is single-dose and can be administered five months after a child receives their first shot.
The FDA says that the decision to let this age group get the booster now came because the Omicron wave saw more kids getting sick and hospitalized. The FDA also said that COVID-19 is still less severe in children than in adults.