NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are setting the stage for a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting state officials to pre-order doses starting next week. In meetings scheduled in the next three weeks, federal officials plan to discuss making shots made by one manufacturer, Pfizer, available for kids ages 5 to 11. To help states and cities prepare, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week sent out a 7-page planning guide that some say provided important clarifications on how to set up the programs.

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — A panel of U.S. health advisers has endorsed booster doses of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration panel said Friday that the booster should be offered at least two months after immunization but didn’t suggest a firm time. The FDA isn’t bound by the vote but its ultimate decision could help expand the nation’s booster campaign. Booster doses of Pfizer’s vaccine began last month for people at high risk of COVID-19, and the FDA advisory panel has recommended the same approach for Moderna. In contrast, the panel backed boosters for anyone 18 and older who received the J&J vaccine.