Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2021

After a rigorous and thorough scientific review process, today the Food and Drug Administration expanded the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVIDâ19 vaccine from individuals 16 years and older to also include individuals 12 to 15 years old.

This is a promising development in our fight against the virus. If you are a parent who wants to protect your child or a teenager who is interested in getting vaccinated, today's decision is a step closer to that goal.

Millions of 16- and 17-year-olds have been safely vaccinated, and as more and more Americans get vaccinated, COVIDâ19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to fall. The safe and effective vaccines are curbing the spread of the virus, saving thousands of lives, and allowing millions of Americans to start returning to a closer to normal life.

In the coming days, we will hear more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on its recommendations. I look forward to speaking more about what today's news means for our vaccination program, but the bottom line is: The light at the end of the tunnel is growing, and today it got a little brighter.

Categories: Statements by the President : Pfizer-BioNTech COVIDâ19 vaccine, Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization for treatment to include adolescents.

Subjects: Diseases : Coronavirus, domestic containment efforts; Health and Human Services, Department of : Food and Drug Administration; Health and Human Services, Department of: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DCPD Number: DCPD202100391.

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