WASHINGTON — Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by a CDC advisory committee for use in children aged 12 to 15. The panel voted in favor on Wednesday afternoon, following the US from the Food and Drug Administration giving emergency use authorization for distribution to children ages 12 to 15 Monday, calling it a “significant step in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Today’s action allows for a younger population to be protected from COVID-19, bringing us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy and to ending the pandemic,” Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner, said in a statement this week.

 With that the committee giving its okay, the CDC will make the final determination and announcement, with President Biden saying the CDC’s final approval should come before the end of the day. If everything falls into place, 12- to 15-year-olds across the entire US could start getting vaccinated as soon as Thursday.