Vaccines for kids under 12 'very likely' to be available 1st or 2nd week of November: Fauci

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is nearly 91% effective against symptomatic illness in children ages 5-11, according to new data.

ByJulia Cherner ABCNews logo
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Vaccines are 'likely' to be available to kids 5-11 early Nov.: Fauci
Vaccines for children will "very likely" be available in early November, Dr. Anthony Fauci told "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos.

WASHINGTON -- Vaccines for children will "very likely" be available the first or second week of November, White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.

"If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it's entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November," Fauci told ABC "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is nearly 91% effective against symptomatic illness in children ages 5-11, according to new data. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel will meet Tuesday to discuss authorizing the vaccine for children, which is currently only available to those ages 12 and older.

MORE: Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine more than 90% effective in kids

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky discusses the agency greenlighting Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters and what people should know about mixing and matching vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued recommendations for both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine boosters for certain populations on Thursday evening, clearing the way for millions of Americans to receive additional shots. The CDC's authorization followed the FDA's, which it issued Wednesday.

The CDC is also permitting mix-and-match booster doses -- allowing people to get a different booster brand than was used for a primary vaccination.