'Fast and efficient': Biden urges vaccinations for kids 12-15 after OK from CDC panel; US deaths lowest in 10 months: Latest COVID-19 news
A federal advisory committee said Wednesday the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for adolescents ages 12-15, opening the door for its widespread use starting Thursday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's panel met to discuss the merits of the vaccine in that age group after the Food and Drug Administration signed off Monday on the shots. That prompted some cities to start administering them Tuesday, but the CDC advisers' recommendation -- expected to be adopted by the agency later Wednesday -- figures to make them more widely available.
Parents, school administrators and many others had been awaiting the vaccine's authorization for children 12-15 as another major step in the process of returning to normal life after more than a year of grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.
President Joe Biden encouraged parents to have their adolescents vaccinated, saying, "This new population is going to find the vaccine rollout fast and efficient.’’
Biden said there will be more than 15,000 pharmacies where children 12-15 can get inoculated starting Thursday, and that doses will also be sent to family doctors and pediatricians.
Not all vaccine new on Wednesday was positive. White House officials told governors on a private call the previous day that new supply of the Johnson & Johnson one-dose shot wasn't immediately available for ordering, Politico reported, citing four sources it did not name.
Read More: USAtoday.com
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