Monday's announcement from Pfizer and BioNTech that a low dose of their coronavirus vaccine proved safe and effective for children ages five to 11 in a clinical trial has come as a relief to many parents anxiously awaiting the chance to protect their children — though some have expressed hesitancy, citing the lack of large-scale studies.

The highly contagious Delta variant of the virus has collided with the start of the US academic year, sending infections among young children soaring and forcing thousands of schools to shut for days or even weeks.

The companies said they plan to file for regulatory authorisation as soon as possible for a 10-microgramme dose for children ages five to 11 after it led to a strong immune response in a 2,268-participant trial.

Read the full Reuters story here.