The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Sunday that kid-sized doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine appear to be safe and effective for children aged under 5, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The analysis by FDA scientists was posted online ahead of a meeting scheduled this Wednesday for the agency's independent experts, who will consider applications from both Pfizer and Moderna on vaccinating the nation's youngest children.
Kids aged under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in the United States.
In its analysis of Pfizer's data, the FDA said that rates of hospitalization and death due to COVID-19 among children under 5 were higher than among those aged 5 to 17, "underscoring the benefit of an effective COVID-19 vaccine in this age group."