Staff from San Mateo County and Dignity Health manage a mass vaccination clinic for Phase 1A health care workers at the San Mateo County Event Center, Calif. in March 2021. (Photo courtesy County of San Mateo Joint Information Center)

Federal regulators expanded eligibility Friday for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, making it available to children ages 12-17.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended its Emergency Use Authorization for the two-dose vaccine, which has been available to adults since last month.

The vaccine’s two doses are administered three weeks apart. It is the first vaccine available in the U.S. with a traditional vaccine composition using non-infectious pieces of coronavirus particles.

Commonly reported side effects of the Novavax vaccine are similar to those of the other three vaccines available in the U.S., including muscle and joint aches, fatigue, fever, headaches and pain, tenderness redness and swelling at the injection site.

Statewide, 71.9 percent of California residents have completed their initial vaccine series. The COVID-19 vaccine is available to everyone age 6 months and up.

Eli covers public health, transportation and state politics for the Bay City News Foundation, serves as the main editor of the Public Health and COVID-19 Information Hub and assists with Local News Matters' social media strategy. He has also previously covered local politics in San Diego County as well as college and professional sports across the Bay Area.