Montgomery County begins planning strategies to vaccinate children against COVID-19

On Monday, U.S. regulators expanded the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12 and Montgomery County officials are wasting no time making plans for vaccinations once shots become available.

GERMANTOWN, Md. - On Monday, U.S. regulators expanded the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12 and Montgomery County officials are wasting no time making plans for vaccinations once shots become available.

The shots could begin as soon as Thursday, after a federal vaccine advisory committee issues recommendations for using the two-dose vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds.

FDA AUTHORIZES PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINE FOR KIDS AGES 12 TO 15

FOX 5's Melanie Alnwick says the shots will be available at mass vaccination sites, pharmacies, some doctors' offices, clinics and even at schools.

The Food and Drug Administration declared that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15. Alnwick says providers need to wait now for the CDC to adopt the FDA'S recommendations.

One goal that's firm, Alnwick says, is to focus on the parts of the county that have had the most cases of COVID-19.

The Associated Press contributed to this article