US panel urges kids 5-11 get COVID shots, final OK due soon

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writers

An influential advisory panel is recommending Pfizer’s kid-size COVID-19 vaccine for all children ages 5 to 11. If the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agrees later Tuesday, the U.S. will embark on a major and long-awaited expansion of vaccinations. Pfizer already has begun shipping millions of doses to states, doctors’ offices and pharmacies. And pediatricians are getting ready to put shots into little arms as soon as they get the final OK. The special kid shots contain just a third of the dose given to teens and adults.