CDC panel recommends Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for kids as young as 12


Adolescents ages 12 to 15 should get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and they can get their other routine vaccinations along with it, a federal advisory committee said Wednesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's panel met to discuss the safety, immune response and effectiveness of the vaccine in this age group, after the Food and Drug Administration signed off Monday on the shots.

The same Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices last December signed off on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adults and teens ages 16 to 17.  Fourteen members of the panel on Wednesday endorsed lowering the age limit to 12, with one member recusing herself.

Out of an abundance of caution, the original recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines had included a two-week window of separation between a COVID-19 vaccine and any other vaccine so the cause of any side effects would be clear and so that safety data could be collected.

The recommendation also was updated for all age groups by the committee on Wednesday, said CDC's Dr. Kate Woodworth

In a statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended COVID-19 vaccination for all children and adolescents, 12 years of age and older who do not have a medical reason not to.

Read More:   USAtoday.com

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