On Tuesday, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
The Food and Drug Administration must now choose whether to formally approve the shot and then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be set to make the decision.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that if the vaccine is approved, it could be available for young children within the first two weeks of November.
“If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it’s entirely possible, if not very likely, that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November,” Fauci told ABC.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Sunday that the Biden administration is prepared to roll out the vaccine to the age group as soon as it is approved.
“The administration is working on the operations and logistics. So, as soon as we have both the FDA authorization and the CDC recommendations, there will be vaccines out there so children can start rolling up their sleeves,” she told NBC.
Pfizer’s vaccine is already approved for children age 12 and older, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines are authorized for individuals 18 and older.
