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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents age 12 to 15.

Pfizer has said clinical trials show its COVID-19 vaccine to be 100 percent effective in this age group. The vaccine already has been approved for people age 16 and up.

The approval sets the stage for many middle schoolers and young high school students to be vaccinated before the next school year. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must also approve the authorization before vaccinations for the age group can begin.