Children ages 12 to 15 could start getting Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine as soon as Thursday, FDA official says

• US children as young as 12 could get COVID-19 vaccines as soon as Thursday, an FDA official said.
• The FDA authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot for 12- to 15-year-olds on Monday.
• The CDC is expected to rule on the shot Wednesday, meaning vaccinations could start Thursday.

Children ages 12 to 15 could be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine as early as Thursday, a US Food and Drug Administration official said.

The FDA on Monday expanded the emergency authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 shot to include 12- to 15-year-olds, after first authorizing it for people ages 16 and older in late 2020.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now needs to sign off of the expansion before the younger age groups can get the vaccine.

The CDC is meeting to discuss this Wednesday.

Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told reporters on Monday that if the CDC approves, the vaccine could be given to those children Thursday.

"They could be as soon as Thursday," he said, according to NBC News.

NBC News noted that the expansion would depend on state rules and regulations.