CDC Approves Pfizer Vaccine For Children

 An advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 – prompting President Joe Biden to tell parents to ‘make sure’ their kids get the shot. 

On Wednesday afternoon, 14 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to endorse the Pfizer jab, and one recused herself. 

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky was expected to review the recommendations and approve them later in the day. 

Shortly after the committee vote, Biden in a coronavirus response briefing urged parents to get their children vaccinated ‘right away’. 

‘Now the vaccine is authorized for ages 12 and up and I encourage their parents to make sure that they get the shot,’ the president said, speaking from the White House. 

Biden shared some figures to stress the importance of teenagers getting vaccinated, although they are generally at lower risk of contracting and getting very ill from the virus. 

About 3million Covid-19 cases have been reported in children under age 17, he said. 

The younger age group becoming eligible for the Pfizer jab means that 17million more Americans can get inoculated, the president said. 

‘This is one more giant step in our fight against the pandemic,’ Biden said. ‘I sincerely think the scientists, the researchers and clinical trial participants deserve our thanks. 

They’ve all made this possible.’ 

By Thursday, more than 15,000 sites will be ready to vaccinate the younger age group, according to Biden.

The CDC committee’s endorsement of the Pfizer jab came two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it for emergency use in children 12 to 15 years old.