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Pfizer asks FDA to approve its COVID-19 vaccine for kids as young as 5

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Posted at 7:39 AM, Sep 28, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-28 12:30:18-04

Pfizer and BioNTech announced Tuesday that they had submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration in the hopes of having their COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use in kids aged 5 to 12.

In a press release, Pfizer said it had submitted data from Phases 2 and 3 of its vaccine trial for kids in that age group. The vaccine given to children in the 5 to 12 age group is a slightly smaller dose than the shot given to adults.

Earlier this month, the company said that data showed that children developed virus-fighting antibodies about as well as adults who received two typical shots of the vaccine.

Pfizer also said Tuesday that it planned to release data on studies of its COVID-19 vaccine in young children and babies by the end of 2021.

The Pfizer vaccine is fully approved by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for people aged 16 and up. The vaccine is also available for kids aged 12 to 15 for emergency use.

This story is breaking and will be updated.