Pfizer announced Monday that data from recent trials suggests that children 5-11 have a safe and effective response to its Covid-19 vaccine. The news holds the hope to herald a new phase in our battle to end the public health crisis caused by the coronavirus in the United States. While all the usual caveats still apply (namely, Pfizer’s data has not yet been subject to peer review or public scrutiny; the primary endpoint reported today suggests immunity but does not prove it), a path toward that end certainly feels closer than it did before. Despite global distribution of vaccines remaining unsolved, Monday brings the essentially good news that it is possible, even likely, that a vaccine available to elementary school-age children is near. To read the full story.