Ohio Will Begin Vaccinating Children 12-15 Thursday

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio will begin vaccinating children, ages 12 to 15, starting Thursday.

"We will start vaccinating these children in Ohio tomorrow morning," Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday during a statewide address.

Ohio children hospitals and pediatricians are already working with local agencies to make vaccines available immediately to patients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Monday that they were expanding the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include children ages 12-15. The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine authorized for use on minors, though currently it is restricted to those 16 and up.

"This is a watershed moment in our ability to fight back the COVID-19 pandemic," Dr. Bill Gruber, a Pfizer senior vice president told The Associated Press.

For the FDA's trial, 1,131 children received the Pfizer vaccine. Another 1,129 took a saline placebo. Both groups were tracked for two months following their second shot, and were generally found to have side effects "consistent with those reported in clinical trial participants 16 years of age and older," the FDA says. That means that, like many adults who take the vaccine, some trial participants suffered soreness, tiredness, headaches and chills after their second dose, but no severe complications.

Other vaccines may also be approved for use in children in the near future. Moderna is currently studying how its vaccine works on 12 to 17-year-olds. Novavax also has a vaccine in the late stages of development, which is also being studied in 12 to 17-year-old patients, the AP reports.

Related: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Expanded To U.S. Children 12 And Older