Vaccine panel to meet on Pfizer COVID-19 shots for ages 5-11 in November

A panel of vaccine experts will meet in early November to consider whether to recommend the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 12.

The Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices scheduled a two-day meeting for Nov. 2-3, health officials said Friday. The Pfizer topic is expected to take up part of the agenda.

RELATED: Pfizer seeks FDA authorization of COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5 to 11

The experts are anticipating the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will have decided by then whether to authorize use of the Pfizer vaccine for children between ages 5 to 11. The committee’s job is to help the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention develop recommendations for doctors and the public about which vaccines should be used and how they should given.

RELATED: More than 120K US kids had primary caregivers die during pandemic

Currently, Pfizer vaccines are authorized only for people 12 and older.