CDC panel endorses use of Pfizer's COVID vaccine in kids as young as 12

CHICAGO - Advisors to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday endorsed use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in kids as young as 12.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told parents in her twitter Wednesday afternoon that CDC now recommends Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine be used for 12 to 15-year-old adolescents. "Getting your adolescent vaccinated means they can return to social activities faster. It also gives you peace of mind knowing your family is protected," she said.

Pfizer's vaccine has been used for months in people 16 and older. US Food and Drug Administration authorized its use for those as young as 12 early this week. Now comes the recommendations from CDC's advisers.

Pfizer is the first vaccine manufacturer to gain emergency use authorization for younger Americans after it demonstrated in a March clinical trial that its vaccine was 100 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in study participants who were aged 12 to 15.

In the Pfizer study, there were no cases of COVID-19 among volunteers given the two-shot vaccination compared with 16 in the group given dummy shots. Kids also developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than vaccinated adults. Side effects of the vaccine for adolescents are the same as for adults.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also endorsed the Pfizer vaccine for the 12-and-up crowd on Wednesday.