Although an exact timeline has yet to be confirmed, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner and current Pfizer board member, expects the vaccine to be available for children ages 5 to 11 within a couple months (via CNN). Before that can happen, however, Pfizer will first need to apply for emergency use authorization from the FDA, a process they plan on completing by the end of September.
“Pfizer could be in a position to file very quickly,” Gottlieb told CNBC. “The data came a little earlier than some were expecting, and depending on how long the FDA takes to review the application — whether it’s a four-week review or a six-week review — you could have a vaccine available to children as early as probably by the end of October, perhaps it slips a little bit into November.” While the FDA has already committed to reviewing the clinical trial data as quickly as possible, the agency has also stressed that their number one priority is making sure the vaccine is safe and effective and will not cause any adverse side effects.