The first coronavirus vaccine for kids as young as five is ready to go.
Late Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children aged 5 through 11. The decision wa sin line with the Food and Drug Administration, which on Friday authorized emergency use of the pediatric dose for the roughly 28 million children in that age group, according to The New York Times. Parents can start making appointments today after the CDC signed off last night. "CDC now expands vaccine recommendations to about 28 million children in the United States in this age group and allows providers to begin vaccinating them as soon as possible," the agency said in a statement.
President Joe Biden weighed in, calling the decision a turning point in the battle against the pandemic. "It will allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others. It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus," Biden said in a statement.
Pfizer's vaccine will be given in smaller doses, one-third of what teens and adults receive.