Kids age 12+ could get the Pfizer vaccine as early as next week

Kids age 12 and up might soon be able to get vaccinated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize use of the Pfizer vaccine as early as next week. 

The announcement comes about a month after the company found that its shot also provided protection for this younger group. The authorization would allow kids to get vaccinated before returning to campuses in the fall. 

 "If we don't immunize that group, that's going to leave a big part of the population that's susceptible to the virus and be able to continue on the pandemic,” said Robert Frenck Jr., Director, Vaccine Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital. 

Pfizer has shared that kids have had similar side effects to other young adults. The main side effects are pain, fever, chills and fatigue, particularly after the second dose. 

Pfizer says they’ll continue to track participants in their studies for two years to learn more about long-term protection and safety. 

Results from Moderna’s vaccine studies for kids are expected by the middle of this year.