ATLANTA, Ga. — For the first time, the C-D-C is tossing its weight behind a new vaccine that it says is proven to protect babies against a potentially severe respiratory illness.

On Friday, the agency endorsed the drug Abrysvo, which is made by Pfizer – saying that if a mother gets the vaccine between weeks 32 and 36 of pregnancy, it lowers the child’s risk of hospitalization from R-S-V by 57 percent over the first six months of life.

Dr. Malathi Srinivasan with Stanford University told C-B-S News that the drug reduces the risk of severe illness 70 to 80 percent of the time.

The C-D-C says that R-S-V typically thrives during cold and flu season, with outbreaks most likely late fall through early spring.