CDC set to vote Wednesday on recommendation for Pfizer vaccine in children ages 12-15

BOSTON — The CDC will vote Wednesday on whether to recommend the Pfizer vaccine to children ages 12 to 15. The FDA already approved emergency use of the vaccine Monday for the age group.

“I’m encouraging all parents to get their children vaccinated, some parents won’t want to be first but I’m also encouraging children to ask for the vaccine,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director.

PREVIOUS: FDA authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine use for children age 12 to 15

Doctors say, so far, trials show the vaccine is safe for children, and this may just be the first step to making the shot eligible for all children by the end of this year.

“One other thing that I think is important is that there’s a lot of work that we’re doing now in clinical trials to get vaccinations for children younger than 12. So a bunch of companies, several of them, are doing what’s called age de-escalation studies,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci. “What we’re looking at children from 12 to nine, nine to six, six to two, and then six months to two years, we think by the time we get to the end of this year, that we will have enough information to vaccinate children of any age.”

The CDC meets at 11 a.m. Wednesday, but the board may not make a final approval vote on the vaccine for children until the afternoon.

Download the free Boston 25 News app for up-to-the-minute push alerts

>> Complete Covid-19 vaccine coverage

RESOURCES:

- Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here

- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Watch Boston 25 NOW

- Download our free apps for your phone and smart TV