Children 5 to 11 years old are one step closer to being able to get a COVID-19 booster shot as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to make the final decision today.

The COVID level in the city is now at high, so while the FDA gave approval on booster shots for children 5 to 11 years old, they are not yet eligible.

The FDA said even though COVID is typically milder among kids, more young people are getting seriously sick from the highly contagious Omicron variant. Data suggests that the effectiveness of the vaccine does weaken over time, which means a boost adds extra protection.

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The CDC's website shows that cases for children ages 5-11 have increased by roughly 90 cases per 100,000 since this time last month. If approved, the dosage any child will get will be a lesser dose compared to what patients ages 12 and older have been getting.

Referring to safety of the booster on kids, Pfizer said that it did a vaccine trial on more than 4,000 children and that there were no safety issues.

A decision by the CDC is expected later today.