(CMR) An FDA committee has recommended that the Pfizer vaccine be approved for children ages 5 to 11.
In a 17 to 0 vote, with one abstention, the committee recommended the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech be given to the age group in a two-dose regimen at one-third the dosage approved for adults.
The FDA will now take the committee's advice into consideration before making a final recommendation.
If the agency approves the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will decide the specific groups of children in that age range should get vaccinated, for example, those who are high risk. Approval could be granted by 2 November, meaning jabs for five-year-olds could begin as soon as a day later.
Some 15 million doses of the vaccine are expected to go out to pediatric offices, children's hospitals, and pharmacies around the US once approval has been granted.
Committee members reportedly grapple with the fact that up to 40% of children aged 5 to 11 may have already been infected with SARS-CoV-2. That may be an underestimate since many younger children who are infected don't experience symptoms therefore never go to the doctor or get medical care.
Last week, US regulators also signed off on extending COVID-19 boosters to Americans who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine and said anyone eligible for an extra dose could get a brand different from the one they received initially.
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