COVID-19 updates: 70% of American adults fully vaccinated

President Joe Biden called Tuesday's move by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to allow Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for children 5 to 11 years old "a turning point."

"It will allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others," he said in a statement. "It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus."

The president said his administration has secured enough pediatric vaccines for every child in America and has begun shipping out doses.

"The program will ramp up over the coming days, and fully up and running during the week of November 8," he said.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky approved the agency's recommendations for administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children between 5 and 11 years old.

Vaccinations for this age group, which includes over 28 million children, can begin as early as Wednesday morning.

The two-dose vaccine has been approved for an emergency use for children 12 to 15 years old and for full authorized use for patients above 16 years old.

Hartford HealthCare was one of the first locations in the country to administer the vaccine to kids Tuesday evening. The young patients cheered and gave doctors high fives after they received their shots.

-ABC News' Eric Strauss

Two major pharmacy chains announced Tuesday evening they are getting ready to offer Pfizer COVID-19 shots to children 5 to 11 years-old.

Pending signoff from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, which could happen as early as Tuesday night, Walgreens told ABC News it expects to begin administering shots to that age group starting Saturday.

Walgreens said its online scheduler for children's appointments will be available starting Wednesday.

The Pfizer pediatric vaccine will arrive "later this week in select locations throughout the country," CVS said in a statement. Appointments will be available at individual stores after each receives vaccines.

-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik

An independent CDC advisory panel voted "yes" Tuesday to recommend the Pfizer vaccine for the roughly 28 million children ages 5 to 11 in the U.S. 

The vote was unanimous.

"The data supports that we have one more vaccine that that saves lives of children and that we should be very confident to employ it to the maximum," panel member Dr. Sarah Long said.

“I think we I feel that I have a responsibility to make the vaccine available. If I had a grandchild, I would certainly get that grandchild vaccinated as soon as possible," said panel member Dr. Beth Bell.

Next, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky must sign off; no pediatric vaccinations will start until Walensky gives the green light. If that happens Tuesday evening, shots could start going into younger children's arms beginning Wednesday.