US backs Pfizer's low-dose COVID-19 vaccine for kids, FDA approval expected soon

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously, with one abstention, that the vaccine's benefits in preventing COVID-19 in that age group outweigh any potential risks including a heart-related side effect that's been very rare in teens and young adults despite their use of a much higher shot dose.

Washington: The US moved a step closer to expanding COVID-19 vaccinations for millions of more children as a panel of government advisers on Tuesday endorsed kid-size doses of Pfizer's shots for 5 to 11-year-olds.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously, with one abstention, that the vaccine's benefits in preventing COVID-19 in that age group outweigh any potential risks including a heart-related side effect that's been very rare in teens and young adults despite their use of a much higher shot dose.

While children are at lower risk of severe COVID-19 than older people, ultimately many panellists decided it's important to give parents the choice to protect their youngsters especially those at high risk of illness or who live in places where other precautions, like masks in schools, aren't being used.