SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A CDC advisory committee on Tuesday is discussing the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for young kids.
This is the last regulatory hurdle as the CDC is expected to approve its use for kids ages 5-11 years old.
The FDA already cleared kid-size doses - which is just a third of the amount given to teens and adults - for emergency use.
If the vaccine gets approved Tuesday, 28 million more American children could be eligible for vaccinations this week.
While health officials say children are at lower risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 than older people, so far children in the 5-11 age group have still been seriously affected; there have been 8,300 total hospitalizations and 146 deaths nationwide.
The government has also counted 2,000 coronavirus-related school closures.
A few countries have begun using other COVID-19 vaccines in children under 12.
China just began vaccinations for 3-year-olds, while European regulators are also considering Pfizer's vaccine for kids.
After the CDC's expected approval today, Pfizer is ready to begin shipping millions of vials of pediatric vaccines, which have orange caps to avoid mix ups with the purple capped doses used for everyone else.
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