The White House is preparing to roll out COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5 to 11 despite the shots not being approved for the demographic.

Jeff Zients, President Joe Biden’s top pandemic adviser, defended the decision to announce the White House’s plan before Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for children is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after the political problems it encountered when it prematurely promoted its booster shot framework.

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