Pfizer has announced it is seeking US authorisation for Covid booster shots among adolescents aged 16 and 17, as concerns grow about the impact of the new Omicron variant, AFP reports.

The Food and Drug Administration has so far only granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for boosters to people aged 18 and over, six months after their primary series of the Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccine, or two months after the Johnson & Johnson shot.

Experts are concerned that the pattern of mutations detected on the Omicron variant will mean that the protection generated by the current generation of vaccines may take a partial hit.

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