(Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP)
The United States Medicines Agency (FDA) urgently approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against COVID in infants and young children on Friday (June 17), paving the way for the first injections next week.
The Moderna laboratory vaccine in two doses is approved as an emergency use for children between the ages of six months and five years.
Pfizer was to be given in three doses to children between the ages of six months and four years. This is the last age group not to receive protection in the United States.
At the same time, the FDA also approved Moderna’s vaccine for children and adolescents ages 6 to 17. Pfizer had been approved since the age of 5.
“Many parents, caregivers and doctors are waiting for a vaccine for younger children, and this one protects children as young as 6 months,” FDA Director Robert Califf commented in a news release.
“As we have seen in older age groups, these vaccines provide protection for younger children against the most severe cases of COVID19, such as hospitalization and death,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now required to recommend these vaccines before vaccinations begin.
This final approval comes after a meeting of experts who are members of an advisory committee, taking place this Friday and Saturday.
However, the US government had indicated that once the FDA releases its decision, about 10 million doses could be shipped to all corners of the country in advance, and millions more in the coming weeks.
The necessary equipment for the injections is also provided.
According to a preliminary estimate, PfizerBioNTech’s vaccine is 80% effective against symptomatic forms of the disease. However, that number is based on a small number of positive cases, the FDA said.
Moderna has been shown to be 51% effective in infants aged six months to less than two years and 37% effective in children aged two to five years.
The numbers are consistent with efficacy against the micron variant observed in adults, according to the US agency. However, the vaccine continues to provide good protection against severe cases of COVID19.