CDC Green Lights Pfizer’s Vaccine for Younger Kids

With the final hurdle cleared, the COVID-19 vaccine could be administered to US children ages 5 through 11 as early as today.

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Update (May 17, 2022): The Food and Drug Administration today authorized the use of a booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in children 5–11 years old, five or more months after the administration of the initial two-shot series.

On the recommendation of a special advisory panel, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky yesterday signed off on the use of a pediatric dose of Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine in children between 5 and 11 years old. The move follows last week’s granting of an emergency use authorization for that age group by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and with it, the vaccine clears the final hurdle for use in these children. Ahead of the CDC announcement, pediatric doses were already being shipped, according to a White House briefing reported by multiple outlets.

Children in this age group have had a long wait for shots. Last December, Pfizer’s ...

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Meet the Author

  • Shawna Williams

    Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate and science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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