The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to expand emergency use of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine by next week so that children as young as 12 can be immunized.
After Pfizer's trial in adolescents showed its vaccine worked as well in teens as it does in adults, the FDA started preparing to add an amendment covering that age group to the vaccine's emergency use authorization, The New York Times reported. Federal officials familiar with the agency's plans who were not authorized to speak publicly relayed the information, the Times said.
Medical experts welcomed the news, calling it a major step forward in the U.S. vaccination campaign.
Vaccinating children is key to raising the level of immunity in the population, experts told the Times, and it could put school administrators, teachers and parents at ease if millions of students become eligible for vaccinations before schools open in September.
