Is the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine safe for children ages 5 to 11? Does it work? Does every child need it?
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the vaccine for emergency use in those age groups, following a near-unanimous recommendation from its advisers last week. On Tuesday, a similar committee advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have its say.
If, as expected, the advisers recommend the vaccine and the agency’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, signs off, the decision would most likely ease the worries of millions of parents and buttress the United States’ defenses against the virus before winter arrives.
Inoculations for children ages 5 through 11 could then begin this week. Anticipating the agency’s decision, the Biden…
