CDC recommends children ages 5-11 receive Pfizer COVID booster

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee voted Thursday to recommend that children ages 5 to 11 receive a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, USA Today reported.

Pfizer announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded its emergency use authorization of its COVID shot to include children in this age group.

Pfizer's COVID vaccine is the only one for children under the age of 18. The CDC has already recommended for children ages 12 and older to get a booster dose as immunity wanes over time.

With the CDC's decision, immuno-compromised children will be eligible for four COVID shots. The CDC already recommended for kids with immune problems to receive a third.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to approve the recommendation, meaning parents may be able to give their child a booster within the next few days.

Pfizer hopes to give data on the COVID vaccine's efficacy in children under 5 by early June.