The United States is expected to authorize Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 and older starting next week, US media reported Monday.
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Pfizer has requested emergency use authorization for its vaccine, intended for children and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15, according to CNN, citing a government official.
“The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will need to change its regulations on emergency vaccine authorization, but the process should be straightforward,” CNN reports.
The Pfizer vaccine is currently licensed for people 16 years of age and older in the United States.
The extension of vaccination to adolescents could open the US vaccination campaign to millions more people.
According to official data, the vaccination rate peaked around April 11 across the Atlantic, and although 55% of adults have now received one or more doses, there is still a long way to go to achieve herd immunity.
But a new challenge arises today: to vaccinate the other half, who are still hesitating.
Among Republican voters, 29% say they will never get vaccinated, compared to 5% of Democrats and 9% of independents, according to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.