Pfizer and Moderna Get Greenlight From FDA Advisors for COVID Vaccines for Children Under 5
On Wednesday, a panel of advisors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Moderna’s two-shot vaccine series for kids under 5 years and Pfizer’s three-shot vaccine series for kids under 4.
Moderna’s two shots are found to prevent severe illness from COVID-19 infection by about 40% to 50%, while Pfizer’s three shots are found to be 80% effective at preventing symptomatic coronavirus infections.
There are nearly 18 million children in the United States, and data presented during the meeting shows a total of 442 children under 4 died from COVID-19 since 2020.
The next steps for vaccine approval will involve the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deciding on a formal recommendation for child vaccines this coming Saturday.
If all the regulatory steps are properly met, a rollout of child vaccines is expected to come as early as next week.
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