Pfizer-BioNTechThe FDA has requested that Pfizer apply for emergency authorization for the BNT162b2 vaccine for children 6 months of age to 5 years old, according to media reports. 

The agency is awaiting data from a third dose of the vaccine in the age group, which could be available in March. 

Pfizer could apply for emergency use authorization as soon as tomorrow and win authorization by the end of February, according to The Washington Post

In December, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) announced that an independent data monitoring committee concluded the study met non-inferiority requirements for the 6- to 24-month-old group but not for the 2- to under 5-year-old group. 

The vaccine was well tolerated in the young age group. 

Recipients in the trial are receiving 3 µg doses of mRNA, which is one-tenth the amount used in adults. 

For 5- to 12-year-olds, the authorized dose is 10 µg. 

The first two doses are administered 21 days apart, while the third would be injected two months after the primary series. 

A number of parents have signed petitions demanding vaccines be made available for children under 5. A petition on Change.org, for instance, has more than 6,000 signatures. 

The omicron surge has led to an uptick in infections in children, leading to a rise in hospitalized children. COVID-19 infections in children can cause a rare disorder known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)