Pfizer seeks emergency authorization in US to expand vaccine to ages 12-15

Pfizer announced Friday that it's seeking an expansion of its emergency authorization in the U.S. to start offering its vaccine to kids ages 12-15.

News 12 Staff

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Apr 9, 2021, 9:33 PM

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Updated 1,356 days ago

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Pfizer announced Friday that it's seeking emergency authorization in the U.S. to start offering vaccines to kids ages 12-15.

Currently, Pfizer is approved for ages 16 and up. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson remain 18 and up.

Dr. John Zaso, a pediatrician in East Meadow, says the vaccine is safe for children and he's encouraging his patients to get it.

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"We want to get the kids back to school and normalized, with the adults being immunized, that's a big help but the only way to get rid of the reservoir of infection that we worry about a recurrence is to get the kids," says Zaso.

The age of eligibility could drop even further with Moderna now conducting clinical trials on children as young as six months.