CDC director signs off on Pfizer vaccine for children 5 and older

(WWSB/ABC News) - The CDC director has officially signed off on the Pfizer vaccine for children 5-years-old and older, according to ABC News.

In a statement, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said:

“Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against the virus that causes COVID-19. We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children received a COVID-19 vaccine.”

An independent CDC advisory panel had voted to recommend the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 in the United States earlier on Tuesday. The vote was unanimous.

ABC News reports that shots can be given immediately, but White House officials said the pediatric vaccines will be more widely available on Nov. 8. Around 15 million doses are expected to be shipped this next week. Most of those vaccines will be available at pediatrician’s offices, children’s hospitals, community centers, and mass vaccination sites. The other 5 million will go to pharmacies.

President Joe Biden said in a statement obtained by ABC News:

“It will allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others. It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus.”

The most recent data from Pfizer’s trials found that the vaccine for these children was almost 91% effective against symptomatic illness. Children would receive a smaller, one-third dose.