| After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted approval Friday for use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11, what's the next step?
The child-sized doses are a third of the amount given to teens and adults and now, with authorization for emergency use, up to 28 million American children could get the shot as soon as next week.
Before that can happen, the advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will give more detailed recommendations on which kids should get vaccinated. The CDC director is expected to issue a final decision shortly afterward.
“With this vaccine kids can go back to something that's better than being locked at home on remote schooling, not being able to see their friends,” said Dr. Kawsar Talaat of Johns Hopkins University. “The vaccine will protect them and also protect our communities.”
Although China just began vaccinating 3-year-olds for COVID-19, many other countries that use Pfizer's vaccine for adults are watching the U.S. decision as they weigh their choices.
With FDA's approval, Pfizer is planning to ship millions of doses of its vaccine for children — with orange caps to avoid confusion with the purple caps on regular doses — to doctors' offices, pharmacies and other vaccination sites.
When approved, children will get two shots, three weeks apart.
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