Coronavirus Watch: FDA approves Pfizer booster for kids 5-11

The Federal Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 booster shot for children ages 5 to 11.

The booster dose is available to children five months after completing their primary series of two shots. 

The Pfizer vaccine is the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for younger children. Only 28% of kids ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated, a rate much lower than the overall population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Read more from reporter Ken Alltucker here.

It's Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:

• The U.S. officially surpassed 1 million COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, a somber milestone providing a reminder of the enormous human toll extracted by the pandemic.
• The federal government is offering a third round of free COVID-19 tests. Households are eligible to order eight additional test kits from the government website here.
• The European Union dropped its requirement for face masks on planes and at airports earlier this week, following a recent decline in COVID-19 cases across Europe.

See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 77% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 66% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

– Cady Stanton, Paste BN Nation NOW reporter, @cady_stanton