CDC panel debates: Should all school kids get COVID vaccine?

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writers

A government advisory panel is discussing which schoolchildren should get Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration last week OK’d the emergency use of kid-size doses for children ages 5 to 11. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also must sign off before widespread vaccinations begin in that age group. CDC’s advisers on Tuesday are weighing who will get the most benefit from the vaccine. Their recommendation goes to the CDC director for the final say. In the meantime, Pfizer is shipping millions of doses to states and pharmacies to be ready.