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 The vaccine is currently authorized for use in Americans aged 16 and
above.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will vote on
the expanded use of the vaccine in the lower age group, the health
agency's meeting agenda showed on Friday, without specifying the
exact voting questions. (https://bit.ly/3nXwxaC)
The drugmakers in April requested U.S. health regulators to extend
the vaccine's use after a clinical trial found it was safe,
effective and produced robust antibody responses in 12- to
15-year-olds.
CDC director Rochelle Walensky last month said she expects the shot
to be authorized for the lower age group by mid-May.
The panel meeting is a further indication that the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration's (FDA) final decision of the emergency use
expansion could come soon.
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 Should the FDA's decision come
before the Wednesday meeting, the panel's
recommendation could be one of the last steps
before U.S. states can start inoculating
adolescents with the shot.
Pfizer and BioNTech said on Friday they have
filed for a full U.S. approval for their
vaccine.
(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru;
Editing by Devika Syamnath)
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