EU drug regulator approves first COVID shot for 5-11 year olds

FILE PHOTO: A health worker receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Madrid, Spain, February 4, 2021. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

(Reuters) - The EU's drug regulator on Thursday approved the use of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11, opening the way for them to be given a first shot as Europe battles surging infections.

(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Josephine Mason and Alexander Smith)