Your kids could be eligible to get their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine if the Food and Drug Administration approves Pfizer’s request later this month.
The drugmaker asked the U.S. government on Thursday to allow for kids ages 5-11 to get the vaccine under emergency authorization. The Associated Press reports the dose is one-third of the amount those above the age of 12 receive but could help kids develop the same immunity as those after their second dose. CDC data shows that kids ages 5-11 have the lowest hospitalization rates among all kids at 24 per 100,000 and fatality rates are extremely low, but the American Academy of Pediatrics says the case numbers are skyrocketing because of the highly contagious Delta variant.
The FDA will likely not make a decision until an independent expert panel debates the evidence on October 26th.