U.S. regulators on Thursday cleared doses of the updated COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than age 5.
The Food and Drug Administrations decision aims to better protect the littlest kids amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases around the country at a time when childrens hospitals already are packed with tots suffering from other respiratory illnesses including the flu.
Vaccination is the best way we know to help prevent the serious outcomes of COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death, Dr. Peter Marks, FDAs vaccine chief, told The Associated Press.
Omicron-targeted booster shots made by Moderna and rival Pfizer already were open to everyone 5 and older.
The FDA now has authorized use of the tweaked shots starting at age 6 months but just who is eligible depends on how many vaccinations theyve already had, and which kind. Only about 5% of youngsters under age 5 have gotten the full primary series since vaccinations for the littlest kids began in June.
The FDA decided that:
Children under age 6 whove already gotten two original doses of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine can get a single booster of Modernas updated formula if its been at least two months since their last shot.
Pfizers vaccine requires three initial doses for tots under age 5 and those who havent finished that vaccination series will get the original formula for the first two shots and the omicron-targeted version for their third shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to sign off soon, the final step for shots to begin.
Marks said the bivalent vaccine is safe for tots and will help parents keep the protection for those children as up to date as possible.
But children under 5 who already got all three Pfizer doses arent yet eligible for an updated booster.
For now, the good news is they are probably reasonably well-protected, Marks said.
The FDA expects data from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech sometime next month to determine whether those tots will need an omicron-targeted booster and we will act on that as soon as we can, he said.
For parents who havent yet gotten their children vaccinated, its not too late especially as we are entering a phase when COVID-19 cases are increasing, Marks said.
The updated vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer are combination shots, containing half the original vaccine and half tweaked to match the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron strains that until recently were dominant. Now BA.5 descendants are responsible for most COVID-19 cases.
The CDC last month released the first real-world data showing that an updated booster, using either companys version, does offer added protection to adults. The analysis found the greatest benefit was in people whod never had a prior booster, just two doses of the original COVID-19 vaccine but that even those whod had a summertime dose were more protected than if theyd skipped the newest shot.
-
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Our new weekly Impact Report newsletter examines how ESG news and trends are shaping the roles and responsibilities of todays executives. Subscribe here.
