Good news! US formally recommends Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11

Washington: Following rigorous review and authorization process by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday (local time) has formally recommended the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11.

"Today, following a rigorous review and authorization process by the FDA, the CDC has formally recommended the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11. This is encouraging news, and a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus," tweeted US President Joe Biden.

"It will allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others," read White House statement.

Over the last several weeks, the Biden administration has been working hard to be prepared for this moment.

"We are ready to act. We have already secured enough vaccine supply for every child in America, and over the past weekend, we began the process of packing and shipping out millions of pediatric vaccine doses. These doses - specially designed for these younger children - have started to arrive at thousands of locations across the country," read the statement.

The program will ramp up over the coming days and be fully up and running during the week of November 8. Parents will be able to bring their children to thousands of pharmacies, pediatrician’s offices, schools, and other sites to get vaccinated.

"Because of the groundwork we`ve laid, we can be confident that vaccinations for kids will be available, easy, and convenient," added the statement.

More than 78 per cent of Americans age 12 and older have gotten at least one shot, including millions of teenagers -- and the vaccines have proven to be incredibly safe and effective.