Monday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15 in the United States.

Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock said this is "an important step in combating the COVID-19 pandemic."

She added that this measure "allows the younger population to be protected from Covid-19, which brings us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy and ending the pandemic."

And she added, "Parents and guardians can rest assured that the agency has conducted a strict and comprehensive review of all available data, as we did with all permits to use the Covid-19 vaccine in emergencies."

And the US Food and Drug Administration has previously granted emergency use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in those 16 and over.

"Having a licensed vaccine for youth is a critical step in continuing to reduce the massive public health burden caused by the Covid-19 pandemic," said Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biological Assessment and Research.