FDA panel backs Pfizer’s low-dose COVID-19 vaccine for kids

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MATTHEW PERRONE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health advisers have endorsed kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for young children. The vote Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration panel moves the nation closer to vaccinating children ages 5 to 11. The FDA isn’t bound by the recommendation and is expected to make its own decision within days. If regulators agree, shots could begin as early as late next week. Young kids would get just a third of the dose given to teens and adults. A study found kid-size vaccinations are nearly 91% effective at preventing symptomatic infections.