10 things you need to know today: October 30, 2021

The FDA approves Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, G-20 leaders endorse global minimum tax, and more

COVID-19 vaccine clinic.
(Image credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

1. FDA approves Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday backed emergency-use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. children ages 5 to 11. The decision, which was expected after FDA advisers endorsed the shots, marked one of the final steps toward making the two-shot regimen available to the roughly 28 million American children in this age group. Public health experts have called the move a major milestone in the fight against the pandemic. "Vaccinating younger children against COVID-19 will bring us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy," FDA acting commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement, adding that a review of test data showed the vaccine is safe and effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could give final approval at a Nov. 2 meeting.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.