CDC panel recommends COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 6 months old

• U.S. health advisers on Saturday recommended COVID-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
• "We've taken a major step forward today," said Dr. Oliver Brooks, one of the members of the advisory panel.
• A final greenlight was expected later in the day from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

U.S. health advisers on Saturday recommended COVID-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers — the last group without the shots.

The advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unanimously decided that coronavirus vaccines should be made available to children as young as 6 months, offering protection from hospitalizations, deaths and possible long-term complications that are still not clearly understood.

"We've taken a major step forward today," said Dr. Oliver Brooks, one of the members of the advisory panel.

The final signoff was expected later in the day from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. While the Food and Drug Administration OKs vaccines, it's the CDC that decides who should get them.

The government has been gearing up for the start of the shots early next week, with millions of doses ordered for distribution to doctors, hospitals and community health clinics around the country. Roughly 18 million kids will be eligible.

Many families have been anxious for officials to approve vaccines for small children, saying they have long avoided bringing their kids to birthday parties and other gatherings because they weren't vaccinated.

"Parents will breathe a sigh of relief knowing these vaccines will very soon be available," Dr. Jack Resneck, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement.

Still, it remains to be seen how many will ultimately get the vaccines. Less than a third of children ages 5 to 11 have done so since vaccination opened up to them last November.

Here are some things to know:

WHAT KINDS ARE AVAILABLE?

Two brands — Pfizer and Moderna — got the green light Friday from the FDA and Saturday from the advisory panel. The vaccines use the same technology but are being offered at different dose sizes and number of shots for the youngest kids.

Pfizer's vaccine is for 6 months through 4 years. The dose is one-tenth of the adult dose, and three shots are needed. The first two are given three weeks apart, and the last at least two months later.

Moderna's is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids 6 months through 5. The FDA also approved a third dose, at least a month after the second shot, for kids with immune conditions that make them more vulnerable to serious illness.

HOW WELL DO THEY WORK?

In studies, vaccinated youngsters developed levels of virus-fighting antibodies as strong as young adults, suggesting that the kid-size doses protect against coronavirus infections.

However, exactly how well they work is hard to pin down, especially when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine.