November 3, 2021 – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that all children ages 5 through 11 get a low-dose COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech.
The move clears the way for shots to be administered as soon as today, though it may be a few days before the vaccine is widely available.
On Tuesday, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously to support the use of the vaccine for children in this age group. CDC director Rochelle Walensky issued the recommendation later that evening.
The decision means that approximately 28 million children ages 5 through 11 will be eligible for the shots.
The federal government has purchased enough of the low-dose children’s vaccine “for every child in America,” the White House said last week. Shipments of the vaccine started last Friday following the FDA’s decision to authorize the vaccine in this age group. White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeffrey Zients said some 15 million doses are being shipped this week, and the federal program for distributing the vaccine “will be fully operational” by next Monday, Nov. 8.
The Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine is one-third the adult dose and, like the adult formulation, is given in two doses, three weeks apart. The lower dose was chosen to minimize side effects and still produce strong immunity, Pfizer says.