The panel urges that the Pfizer vaccine should be available for children 5 to 11. Millions of child-size doses already are being shipped.

Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spent considerable time Tuesday explaining their votes in support of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, saying it’s safe and will protect children form an infection that can hurt them.

“As you’ve heard, we all have a lot of enthusiasm for this vaccine in this age group,” added Dr. Beth Bell, a clinical professor of global health at the University of Washington.

She continued: “But we also understand that parents have legitimate concerns and legitimate questions, and that our vote is a way of telling the American public that, based on our expertise and the information that we have, we’re all very enthusiastic. We were all talking about how we’re getting our kids and our grandkids vaccinated. But I think another point that we made to the American public is that we do understand that people have legitimate concerns and that they have lots of questions. We really encourage people to ask their providers, to visit the CDC website, to talk to their friends, their parents, and do what they need to do to feel comfortable with their decision.”

It’s now up to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky to recommend the vaccine, and she has signaled she will do so. After that, vaccination of the younger children may begin immediately.

Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend giving Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to children ages 5-11.

Members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices spent close to an hour commenting in support of the recommendation before they voted.

The question now goes to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who signaled in opening remarks to the committee’s meeting that she strongly supports vaccinating children in this age group to protect them against Covid-19 and its complications, and to help school get back to normal.

Vaccination could begin as soon as Walensky issues her decision.

Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spoke in strong favor Tuesday of recommending Covid-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11.

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was discussing whether to recommend Pfizer’s one-third sized vaccine for children, after the US Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization last week.

Members of ACIP’s working group, which went over efficacy and safety data, told the meeting they felt strongly the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risk.

Voting and non-voting members of ACIP took turns speaking in favor of vaccinating children Tuesday before the vote.

Members of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners all spoke in favor of recommending the vaccine.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will vote on whether to recommend Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. 

The US Food and Drug Administration gave their green light for the vaccine on Friday. However, shots cannot be administered until after ACIP make a recommendation on the use of the vaccine and the CDC director signs off.

Earlier Tuesday CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky made a hard case for vaccinating younger children against Covid-19, pointing to the disruption nearly two years of pandemic has made to their lives, and reminding CDC vaccine advisers about the risks of the virus.

Walensky sent a clear signal about where she stands. “We have been asking when we will be able to expand this protection to our younger children,” she said in opening comments to the committee.

Many vaccine clinics, children’s hospitals and pediatricians’ offices across the United States have received shipments of Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine doses for ages 5 to 11 and are ready to put shots into arms as early as Wednesday – or even Tuesday night — if the Walensky recommends it.

Many vaccine clinics, children’s hospitals and pediatricians’ offices across the United States have received shipments of Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine doses for ages 5 to 11 and are ready to put shots into arms as early as Wednesday – or even Tuesday night — if the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends it.

The company Viral Solutions, which organizes Covid-19 vaccine and testing clinics in Georgia, confirmed that it has received Pfizer’s child vaccine, and if the CDC gives the green light, vaccinations could start as early as Tuesday evening at a location in Decatur.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in California and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio both confirmed to CNN that they received their vaccine shipments Tuesday and are planning to administer vaccine Wednesday, pending CDC sign-off.

And MiDoctor Urgent Care in New York confirmed to CNN that child vaccine doses have arrived and are ready to be administered on-site Wednesday morning.

Pfizer’s vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday, and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice is meeting now to consider whether recommending use of the vaccine in that age group. Shots can be administered after CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signs off on that recommendation.

The Biden administration has secured enough vaccine supply to vaccinate the 28 million children ages 5 to 11 in the United States who are eligible for vaccination, according to the White House. Pfizer’s vaccine for younger kids is a smaller dose of 10 micrograms, rather than the 30 micrograms used for people 12 and older.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting now to discuss the US Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11.

A vote is scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. ET.

If ACIP recommends the vaccines and the CDC director signs off, vaccination could begin immediately for that age group.

Where can kids get vaccines?

The same places they get flu vaccines – their pediatricians’ offices, at local pharmacies and perhaps at some schools.

“This is the pediatrician’s wheelhouse,” Dr. David Kimberlin, who helps lead the pediatric infectious diseases division at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told CNN.

“We’re trying to get pediatricians enrolled and that’s a major strategy,” Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, told CNN’s Jacqueline Howard.

One potential pinch point is the smaller dose of vaccine, which means the younger children cannot be given doses in stock for adults and teens.

The kids’ vaccine is expected to be shipped in packages of 100 doses, which is much smaller than the packages of 1,170 doses used for the adult vaccines.

“The fact that they’re moving to smaller packaging and smaller shipping amounts is really great news,” Hannan said. That will be easier for doctors’ offices to manage.

The CDC notes that government websites help people find places to get vaccinated.

“Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you,” the CDC advises.

In addition, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said the country’s Covid-19 vaccination program for children ages 5 to 11 will be fully up and running next week.

“While vaccinations may start later this week, the program will still be ramping up to its full strength, with millions more doses packed, shipped and delivered and thousands of additional sites coming online each day,” Zients said at a briefing Monday, noting that 15 million doses are being shipped.

About six US children were infected with coronavirus for every case diagnosed in September – meaning most cases went undetected, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher said Tuesday.

CDC estimates show that about 38% of US children ages 5-11 have been infected with coronavirus — more than adults, overall, and about the same as among children and teens ages 12 to 17, the CDC’s Dr. Jefferson Jones told a meeting of CDC vaccine advisers. But this varies — from 11% in some states to 61% in others, he said.

The CDC looked at data taken from people who had blood drawn for a number of reasons not related to Covid-19, but who were tested for antibodies against coronavirus.

And while about half of all infections among adults are going undiagnosed now, many more are being missed among younger children, Jones told the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. In September, among children 5 to 11, the CDC estimates 6.2 were infected in September for every case diagnosed.

“Infections resulting in mild or no symptoms appear to be much more common in children than adults,” Jones told the meeting.

The CDC’s ACIP is meeting now to consider a one-third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine for children ages 5-11 and will vote later Tuesday.

Side effects from Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, especially fever, were much less common among kids ages 5-11 than they were among 16-to-25-year-olds, the company told advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is considering a one-third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine for children ages 5-11 and will vote later Tuesday.

Pfizer’s Dr. Alejandra Gurtman told ACIP that fever was far less common among younger kids than among older people – with 6.5% of younger children experiencing fever in clinical trials of the vaccine, compared to 17.2% of 16-25-year-olds

“Systemic reaction less common than in 16-to-25-year olds,” Gurtman told the meeting. “Reactogenicity was mostly mild to moderate and short-lived.”

Patricia Stinchfield, a representative of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners to ACIP, who does not vote, said she was encouraged to hear this.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting now to discuss the US Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for kids ages 5-11. Once they recommend it and the CDC director signs off, vaccination could begin immediately for that age group.

However, it could still take another five weeks for kids to reach full immunity.

Here’s why:

Just as with adults, Pfizer is testing and proposing a two-dose series for kids. So that would mean two doses of vaccine given three weeks apart. And as with adults, immunity isn’t immediate, even after the second dose. People have been considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose and the same will go for kids.

So at the very earliest, children would be advised to continue taking precautions for five weeks after they get the first dose of vaccine. That means wearing masks, keeping a physical distance from others and avoiding crowded indoor spaces when possible.

As for boosters, it’s far too soon to ask about them. It took several months of gathering real-world data before Pfizer asked FDA to authorize boosters in adults.

Will kids get the same dose as adults?

No. Pfizer has been testing a 1/3 dose in children 11 and under. But indications are that this smaller dose will protect kids just as well as a larger dose protects teens and adults – even if a particular 10- or 11-year-old is large for his or her age.

Vaccine makers test varying doses when they are doing clinical trials to try to get the best immune response possible from the lowest dose possible. This can reduce side effects and stretch supply.

Tests in children showed a strong response to a 10-microgram dose in the clinical trials, says Dr. Robert Frenck, who heads up vaccine trials at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and who has been testing Covid-19 vaccines in children there.

A bigger initial dose did not seem to improve immunity, so even older children won’t miss out if they get the smaller dose.

“My guess is that if we gave a 12-year-old a 10-microgram dose that they would still have a similar immune response as a 30-microgram dose, but we don’t have the data for that,” Frenck said.

For the youngest children, children under 5, doctors are testing a 3-microgram dose of vaccine.