Watch Live: CDC panel votes on COVID vaccine for kids 12 and up
A CDC advisory committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids between the ages of 12 and 15. The vote comes two days after the Food and Drug Administration expanded emergency use authorization of the vaccine to children in this age range.
The vaccine had previously been authorized for ages 16 and up. After Monday’s FDA decision, a handful of cities started offering shots to kids as young as 12, but most communities were waiting for the CDC advisory committee to sign off on the move, The Associated Press reported.
How to watch the CDC advisory committee vote on Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds
- What: CDC’s meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices votes on the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines for 12- to 15-year-olds
- Date: Wednesday May 12, 2021
- Time: Vote expected around 2:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia
- Online stream: Live on CBSN in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device
Pfizer reported in March that preliminary results from its clinical trial showed the vaccine is safe and 100% effective in adolescents in this age group. The company said side effects in kids were similar to those experienced by young adults, including arm pain, fever, chills and fatigue, particularly after the second dose. Additional details on the findings of the clinical trial were expected to be presented before Wednesday’s vote.
About 3 in 10 parents of children between the ages of 12 and 15 said they planned get their child vaccinated as soon as a COVID shot is available to them, according to a survey taken in April by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Nearly 25% said they would not get their child vaccinated, while another 25% said they would wait to see before making a decision.
“Perhaps unsurprisingly, parents’ intentions for vaccinating their kids largely line up with their own intentions for getting the COVID-19 vaccine themselves,” the organization said.
Note: Streaming plans are subject to change
