U.S. regulators have authorized the COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer and BioNtech for emergency use in children aged 12 to 15. 

According to U.S. media, acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the authorization in a statement on Monday.

The FDA chief said that the move allows for a younger population to be protected from COVID-19, bringing the country closer to returning to a sense of normalcy and to ending the pandemic.

The inoculation of eligible children is likely to begin after an advisory panel of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues a related recommendation on Wednesday. 

It is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be authorized in the U.S. for this age group. Until now, the vaccine has been available to people as young as 16.