Pfizer-BioNTech formally applied to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization of its two-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to be used in children ages 5 to 11.The FDA is slated to discuss the authorization during a Oct 26 meeting.
If approved, the vaccine could be in the arms of American kids before the holidays. The two-dose vaccine contains one-third of the vaccine amount used in adults.
It could be a game-changer for kids who have had their school and social lives disrupted for almost 2 years as the nation has tackled the pandemic.
Though children rarely get seriously ill from COVID-19, they can get infected, transmit the virus, and suffer long-COVID symptoms post-infection.