• The CDC recommended the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds, clearing the path for providing immunizations to this younger age group.
  
• The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices held a public meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Some notable themes in support for the vaccine in this age group included their higher risk for MIS-C (an inflammatory syndrome that is a rare side effect of COVID-19), as well as a likely lower risk for vaccine-induced myocarditis (a rare side effect seen mainly in men under 30 years old and teen boys).
  
• The Pfizer dose is one-third of what is usually given to those 12 and older.
  
• During the last week of October, children made up roughly 1 in 4 cases in the U.S.
  
• Why It Matters: This is the first COVID-19 vaccine granted emergency use authorization by the FDA and recommended officially by the CDC for American children ages 5-11.

Click here for links to the meeting of ACIP

Click here for a Q&A written by the Associated Press on this topic