FDA Approves Pfizer, Moderna for Babies

On Sunday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pfizer and Moderna shots for children under four years, and babies over six months

Children whose ages range between six months and four years can receive three shots of Pfizer, on the other hand, children whose ages range between six months and five years can have two doses of Moderna.

In the same context, the FDA advisers recommended authorizing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between six and 17 years old.

The panel of experts will meet again on Wednesday to consider Moderna shots for children under six and Pfizer shots for children under five.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved for children aged between 5 to 11 years old.

Around 30% of children whose ages ranged between five and 11 years old and 60% of the children aged between 12 and 17 years old are fully vaccinated in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Committee Member and UC Berkeley professor Dr. Arthur Reingold said: “I’d like to give parents as many choices as possible, and let them make the decisions about this for their children.”

Last April, the US drugmaker Moderna announced that it had submitted a request for an emergency use approval for its COVID-19 vaccine for children ages ranging between 6 months and 6 years.

Moderna’s Chief Executive, Stephane Bancel, said in a statement: “We believe [this vaccine] will be able to safely protect these children against SARS-CoV-2, which is so important in our continued fight against COVID -19 and will be especially welcomed by parents and caregivers.”