FDA says Pfizer COVID Vaccine Looks Effective for Young Kids

Federal scientists say kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections among elementary school children.

Get our free mobile app

The Food and Drug Administration posted its review late Friday ahead of a public meeting to consider opening vaccinations to kids 5 to 11.

FDA scientists concluded that in almost every scenario the vaccine’s overall benefit for children would outweigh any serious potential side effects.

The FDA will ask an outside panel of experts to review its analysis and vote on whether to recommend the shots next week.

If regulators authorize the low-dose shots, vaccinations could begin early next month.

Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.