The nation's top health officials are expanding access to COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signing off on the Food and Drug Administration's recommendation Thursday, 16- and 17-year-olds are now eligible to get a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine. It's the first COVID-19 booster authorized for this age group.Pfizer's research shows two doses of its vaccine don't hold up well against the omicron variant, but adding a booster shot gives 25 times the protection.But do teenagers need boosters? And will a third shot really help protect you from the omicron variant?Some experts sister station WBAL-TV spoke with are mixed on whether teenagers need boosters, but one thing they all agree on is more people need to get vaccinated to help end the coronavirus pandemic. "I think it's just as important for 16- and 17-year-olds as it is for young adults," said Dr. James Campbell, with the University of Maryland School of Medicine."I don't think there's any strong evidence that we've seen waning immunity in teenagers, especially against what matters 바카라 게임 웹사이트� serious disease," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.The recommendation comes as cases of the new omicron variant are on the rise across the country. Campbell explains why a booster might help."Typically, the antibodies you make after a booster are stickier. They grab onto the virus better, so even changes in the virus since they're stickier they tend to work better," he said.Pfizer reported that a third dose of its vaccine works to neutralize the omicron variant in laboratory studies, but Adalja said that's not the whole headline."What's often not reported that Pfizer said is that two doses is sufficient for protection against serious disease, hospitalization and death, and I think that should be the goal," Adalja said.For those who do want a booster, there's no firm data on how mixing and matching brands will work against the omicron variant but, according to Campbell, "I think we do know you get a very good boost, regardless of which one you use, so we assume that boost will help with whatever that variant is."Bottom line, it's an individual choice whether to get a booster or one for your teenager, but more important is getting everyone vaccinated in the first place. "I think we have to really remember that third doses will not end this pandemic. It's first and second doses," Adalja said.Campbell said there's no data yet, but it is likely that health officials will eventually recommend young kids get a third shot as well.