The U.S. is expanding use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12.

The Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that the shot is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers. Shots could begin soon once a federal vaccine panel issues recommendations for using the vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds.

Most vaccines rolling out worldwide have been authorized for adults. The latest news is welcome for U.S. families struggling to decide what activities are safe to resume when the youngest family members remain unvaccinated.

Meanwhile, Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla can now look back and tell the incredible story.

Bourla has a deal with Harper Business for what the publisher is calling “an exclusive, first-hand, behind-the-scenes story” of how the drugmaker managed to develop an effective vaccine against Covid-19 in a remarkably short period of time — months instead of years. Bourla’s “Moonshot: Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible” is scheduled to come out Nov. 9. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Bourla plans to donate any proceeds to charity.

(Story written by LAURAN NEERGAARD, CANDICE CHOI, & HILLEL ITALIE/AP)

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