The last group without a vaccine are infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
The advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided that coronaviruses vaccines should be made available to children as young as 6 months, offering protection from hospitalizations, deaths and possible long-term consequences that are still not understood.
One of the members of the advisory panel said that they had taken a big step forward.
The director of the CDC was expected to sign off later in the day. The CDC has the power to decide who should get a vaccine.
Millions of doses have been ordered for distribution to doctors, hospitals and community health clinics as the government prepares for the start of the shots next week. 18 million kids will be able to apply.
Many families have been anxious for officials to approve vaccines for small children because they haven't been done yet.
The president of the American Medical Association said that parents will breathe a sigh of relief when the vaccines are available.
It is not known how many will get the vaccine. Less than a third of children ages 5 to 11 have received the vaccine.
There are a number of things to know.
The FDA gave Pfizer and Moderna the go-ahead on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The vaccines use the same technology, but are being offered at different dose sizes and number of shots for younger children.
The vaccine from Pfizer is for 6 months. Three shots are required for the one-tenth of the adult dose. The first two are given three weeks apart.
A quarter of the adult dose is given to kids 6 months through 5 years old. The FDA approved a third dose for children with immune conditions that make them more vulnerable to serious illness after the second shot.
The studies suggest that the kid-sized vaccine protects against coronaviruses.
It's difficult to pin down how well they work when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine.
Moderna seemed to be only 40% effective at preventing milder infections at a time when the omicron variant was causing most COVID-19 illnesses. The company saw 80% with its three shots, according to Pfizer. The Pfizer data was so limited that experts don't think there is a reliable estimate yet.
The CDC's advisers said yes. Younger people, including children, can get very sick if they get very sick.
There was a surge in hospitalizations during the wave. About 480 children under the age of 5 are counted among the nation's more than 1 million COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the Pandemic.
Even though the number of deaths are relatively rare, the vaccine is still worth it because of its benefits.
The FDA's vaccine chief said either one.
Marks said that she would give her child any vaccine the doctor had.
It's not possible to tell if one is better because the doses haven't been tested against each other.
It takes Pfizer three months to complete the series, but just one month for Moderna's shots. Moderna might be a good choice for families who want to protect their children quickly.
The vaccines are going to be provided by physicians and hospitals. Some of the under-5 group will be able to get them at limited drugstores.
Most shots are expected to take place at the doctor's office. The vaccine may be more convenient for parents to get at their regular doctor. The pace of vaccine was predicted to be slower by him.
Over the course of a couple of months, we're going to see vaccinations ramp up.
During a doctor's visit, it's common for little children to get more than one vaccine.
There is no data on possible side effects when other vaccinations are not given at the same time.
The CDC says that it's safe for younger children as well, despite the fact that problems have not been identified in older children.
Three-quarters of children of all ages are thought to have been exposed to an infectious disease. The CDC recommends vaccinations for older people to lower the chances of re-infection.
The highest levels of protection can be found in people who were both vaccine and previously infectious.
The CDC has said that people may want to wait a few months after an illness to get a vaccine.
The AP reporter in Washington gave a contribution.
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