US expected to authorise Pfizer COVID jabs for 12 to 15 year olds – By News Agencies (Al Jazeera) / May 4 2021
The company previously found its shot provided protection for the younger age group.
The United States’s regulator is expected to authorise Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 by next week, according to a federal official and a person familiar with the process, setting up shots for many before the beginning of the next school year.
The announcement by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to come a month after the company found that its shot, which is already authorised for those age 16 and older, also provided protection for the younger group.
The federal official, speaking to The Associated Press news agency on the condition of anonymity to preview the FDA’s action, said the agency was expected to expand its emergency use authorisation for the two-dose vaccine by early next week, perhaps sooner.
The person familiar with the process, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, confirmed the timeline and added that it is expected the FDA will approve the jab’s use for even younger children sometime this autumn.
