US federal regulators on Friday authorized the first COVID-19 vaccines for infants and preschool children, clearing the way for vaccinations to begin next week.
The decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) follows the unanimous recommendation of its independent advisory panel for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. That means children under 5 in the United States — some 18 million — are eligible for the vaccines, about a year and a half after the shots first became available to adults in the country, who have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
One step remains: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend how to use the vaccines and their advisers were preparing on Friday to analyze the doses and vote on Saturday. The director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, would give the green light.
During a hearing Thursday in the Senate, Walensky said his staff was working over the holiday weekend “because we understand the urgency of this for American parents.” The country celebrates Juneteenth Day, as the Day of the emancipation of slaves is known in the United States.
He said child deaths from COVID-19 have been higher than is typically recorded from influenza each year. “So I really think we have to protect our young children, as well as protect everyone with the vaccine, especially the elderly,” she added.
The FDA also authorized Moderna’s vaccine for school-age children and adolescents. Until now, the only option for that group in the country had been the Pfizer vaccine.
For weeks, the federal government has been preparing to launch vaccines for children. States, tribes, community centers and pharmacies have been authorized to order millions of doses. The FDA’s emergency use authorization allows manufacturers to begin shipping the vaccines nationwide. Vaccinations could start next week.
