The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky has approved the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 with the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines, based on the unanimous recommendation of an advisory group.

“It is our ongoing responsibility to make sure as many people as possible are vaccinated and protected from Covid-19,” Walensky told the panel on Tuesday, calling it a “monumental day.”

According to the CDC, the virus has killed 172 children in the targeted age group and hospitalized nearly 8,300 others. There have been "detrimental social and mental health repercussions that we are just beginning to fully grasp," Walensky added, in addition to the virus's clinical impact on youngsters.

As a result of Tuesday's ruling, approximately 28 million youngsters in this age group in the United States will be able to receive the vaccines. Three weeks apart, two doses of one-third the strength of the shot given to those aged 12 and up would be given.