Pfizer says kid-size doses of its COVID-19 vaccine are safe and nearly 91% effective at preventing infections in elementary school children.
Details of the study were posted online Friday.
FDA regulators said late Friday the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks for children 5 to 11, according to The New York Times.
An advisory panel for the FDA will review the data next week. If the vaccines get authorization from the FDA and CDC, the rollout could begin in early November.
Pfizer shots already are authorized for anyone 12 or older.
The White House is already gearing up for the expected authorization of the Pfizer shot for younger children in a matter of weeks.
The country has ample supplies of shots to vaccinate the roughly 28 million kids who will soon be eligible and have been working for months to ensure the widespread availability of shots once approved.
The White House COVID-19 response team addressed the potential vaccines for children at a press briefing Friday.
NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients provided an update on the response to coronavirus in the U.S.
The briefing came a day after the CDC announced that it has expanded the eligibility for COVID-19 boosters.
For those who received a Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster at 6 months or more after their initial series: 65 years and older, adults in long-term care settings, adults with underlying medical conditions, and adults in high-risk settings.
And for the nearly 15 million people who got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, boosters shots are also recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago.
The CDC also announced that eligible people may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose.
“Some people may have a preference for the vaccine type that they originally received and others, may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots,” wrote the CDC in a statement.
More than 65 million Americans remain unvaccinated.
“These recommendations are another example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19,” wrote the CDC director Thursday. “The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe – as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given. And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating Delta variant.”
