The two-dose mRNA vaccine is already approved for use in those 16 and over. An earlier study showed that the vaccine was 100% effective in adolescents. The move comes amid an effort to drive down the infection rate in the U.S. which has steadily fallen after a plateau in early April.

• Pfizer is in clinical trials for administering the vaccine to children 6-months to 11 years old.
• Several states are turning down hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses, because demand is plummeting, reports The New York Times.
• After a slow start, the European Union is catching up on vaccinations; nearly 3 million doses of the vaccine are now being given each day, according to new data. 
• The World Health Organization says about a dozen other countries — many in Africa — have not received any vaccines at all.
• Pfizer and BioNTech are the first U.S. drugmakers to file for full regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration for their COVID-19 vaccine, for use in people 16 and older.
• Japan extended a state of emergency until the end of May, "casting further doubt on the country’s ability" to host the Summer Olympics in 11 weeks.