CDC Expert Panel Recommends COVID Vaccine for Kids 5-11

On November 2, 2021, an expert advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unanimously recommended emergency use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 for kids ages 5-11 Tuesday, clearing the way for the agency to greenlight mass vaccination effort of school-aged children as early as this week.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, anticipating the panel’s decision, said at the start of Tuesday’s meeting it is “likely to have tremendous impact” in controlling the disease.

“Today is a monumental day in the course of the pandemic and one many of us have been eager to see,” said Walensky, whose expected recommendation following the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ 14-0 vote will allow vaccinations to proceed.

While the panel’s recommendation is welcome news to many parents of school-aged kids, others with concerns about the shots’ safety and the need for them in an age group least affected by the virus fear it will be used to justify vaccine mandates.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced California will add the COVID-19 vaccines to the list of required immunizations for attending school, such as measles and mumps, once the Food and Drug Administration, fully approves them for adolescents and younger kids, which could come next year.

The FDA fully approved Pfizer’s vaccine for ages 16 and older. It is authorized for emergency use after expedited review for ages 12-15, and the FDA expanded that last week to ages 5-11 after concluding the benefits outweigh the risks of rare side effects like heart inflammation seen in boys and young men.

Excerpted from “COVID: CDC expert panel recommends vaccine for kids 5-11” in the Mercury News. Read the full article online. 

Source: Mercury News | COVID: CDC expert panel recommends vaccine for kids 5-11, https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/11/02/covid-cdc-expert-panel-recommends-vaccine-for-kids-5-11 | Copyright ©2021 MediaNews Group, Inc.

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