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

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

A health worker collects a swab sample from a kid to test for COVID-19, at a coronavirus testing center, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. Israel is grappling with a surge of infections and urging people over age 60 to get a booster shot. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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.

Photo: A health worker collects a swab sample from a kid to test for COVID-19, at a coronavirus testing center, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)