FDA advisers recommend Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended on Wednesday that children ages 5 to 11 receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The FDA's advisory committee announced the decision after a study found that the benefits for children who receive inoculation far outweigh the potential risks of cardiac arrest symptoms, according to the Washington Post.

The panel voted unanimously to support the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children. Next, a group of advisers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to have a conference on Nov. 2 regarding the use of the vaccine for children, after which CDC Director Rochelle Walensky could give approval.

If given the go-ahead by the CDC chief, medical facilities will be able to dish out doses of the two-dose vaccine to children as early as the first week of November.

Pfizer and BioNTech submitted data to the FDA on Sept. 28 showcasing the effectiveness of the vaccine for children.

The trial study of 2,268 participants found that the vaccine "elicited robust neutralizing antibody response" in the children. After this, Pfizer filed an application with the FDA for emergency use authorization of its vaccine.