FDA reportedly on the verge of authorizing Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12 to 15

Pfizer logo.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

The Food and Drug Administration is on the verge of authorizing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between 12 and 15 years old, federal officials familiar with the agency's plans told The New York Times. The announcement could come as soon as late this week or early next week.

As the Times notes, the decision is highly anticipated. It means millions of Americans would become newly eligible to get vaccinated and, more specifically, it would provide children with protection ahead of the start of the next school year.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.