The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 through 11 years of age.

The authorization was based on the FDA's thorough and transparent evaluation of the data that included input from independent advisory committee experts who overwhelmingly voted in favor of making the vaccine available to children in this age group, said the agency in a statement.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 is administered as a two-dose primary series, 3 weeks apart, but is a lower dose (10 micrograms) than that used for individuals 12 years of age and older (30 micrograms).