CDC backs Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for young children

Child-size vaccine doses are already being distributed in US and shots may begin as early as Wednesday

US health officials have given the final signoff to Pfizer and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine in children ages five to 11, with shots possibly going into young arms as soon as Wednesday.

The announcement by Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), came only hours after an advisory panel unanimously decided Pfizer's shots should be opened to the 28 million children in that age group, saying the benefits of the vaccination outweigh the risks.