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FDA Authorizes Pfizer's COVID Vaccine For Kids Ages 5 To 11

WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) --  The Food and Drug Administration has paved the way for children ages 5 to 11 to get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. The agency authorized the kid-size doses on Friday.

They are just a third of the amount given to teens and adults. But there's one more regulatory hurdle.  Next week, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will discuss which youngsters should get vaccinated.

In the meantime, Pfizer plans to begin shipping millions of vials of the pediatric vaccine to doctor's offices, pharmacies and other vaccination sites. Kids will get two shots, three weeks apart.

The Baker Administration said recently that about 515,000 children in Massachusetts will become eligible for the shot. The state is expecting about 360,000 doses of the vaccine for kids to arrive no later than Nov. 5.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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