NEW YORK — Pfizer is asking the U.S. government to allow use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11.
If regulators agree, shots could begin within a matter of weeks. Pfizer already had announced that a lower dose of its vaccine worked and appeared safe in a study of the youngsters.
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Thursday officially filed its application with the Food and Drug Administration. FDA’s advisers are scheduled to debate the evidence on Oct. 26. Until now, the vaccine was available only to those as young as 12, and many parents and pediatricians are clamoring for protection for younger kids.
Keeping children in school can be a challenge with the coronavirus still raging in poorly vaccinated communities.
Photo: Jane Ellen Norman, 12, poses for a photo outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Angie Wang)
