The Food and Drug Administration’s action follows its advisory panel’s unanimous recommendation for the shots from Moderna and Pfizer. That means U.S. kids under 5 and roughly 18 million youngsters are eligible for the shots, about 1 1/2 years after the vaccines first became available in the U.S. for adults.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends how to use vaccines and its vaccine advisers are set to discuss the shots Friday and vote on Saturday. A final signoff would come from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
The two vaccine brands use the same technology but there are differences.
Pfizer’s vaccine for kids younger than 5 is one-tenth of the adult dose. Three shots are needed: the first two given three weeks apart and the last at least two months later.
Moderna’s is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids under 6.
The vaccines are for children as young as 6 months. Moderna next plans to study its shots for babies as young as 3-months-old. Pfizer has not finalized plans for shots in younger infants. A dozen countries, including China, already vaccinate kids under 5.
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