The White House on Wednesday outlined its new plan to distribute dose of Pfizer (PFE  ) and BioNTech's (BNTX  ) COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of 5 to 11 years as soon as the shot is authorized for emergency use by U.S. health regulators.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are expected to authorize the mRNA-based vaccine in the coming weeks, with the FDA and CDC's advisory committees slated to review the drugmakers' data in younger participants on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, respectively. From there, the agencies will make the final decision.

"We know millions of parents who've been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine for kids in this age group and should the FDA and CDC authorize the vaccine, we will be ready to get shots in arms," said Jeff Zients, coronavirus response coordinator for the White House, during a press briefing Wednesday.

Officials said that they have enough Pfizer-BioNTech doses to vaccinate all 28 million 5- to 11-year-olds in the U.S., planning to distribute smaller doses and needles to make it easier for pediatricians and other healthcare providers to administer younger Americans.

Zients said the Biden administration will have 15 million doses ready to ship across the country within a week after the shot is authorized, with millions of additional shots becoming available each week thereafter. Pfizer has asked federal regulators to authorize a two-dose regimen of 10 micrograms--a third of the dosage used for adolescents and adults--for children.

"Kids have different needs than adults, and our operational planning is geared to meet those specific needs, including by offering vaccinations in settings that parents and kids are familiar with and trust," Zients told reporters. "At the same time, we're incorporating best practices and applying lessons we have learned across the past nine months."

"Over the past several weeks, we've been working closely with governors, pediatricians, pharmacies, community health centers, rural health centers, and other vaccine providers to prepare for this moment," Zients added.

Under the plan, many children will also be able to get vaccinated at school, with select schools being able to set up immunization clinics with the help of vaccine providers. The White House is also allocating vaccines for hundreds of local health centers and rural clinicals, and is establishing FEMA-run community vaccination sites.