There’s hope that a vaccine for the youngest children could be on the horizon: Moderna announced this week that it is currently seeking emergency authorization of its vaccine for kids under 6
Photo: Courtesy H&M/Getty Images Though many vaccinated adults have been able to return to some semblance of normal life, the vaccine rollout for kids has been frustratingly slow. Last November, the FDA finally approved Pfizer’s vaccines for kids between 5 and 11, but younger children have been left waiting. During the Omicron surge, infection rates among young children rose substantially, and many parents continue to struggle with school closures and child-care crises.
Meanwhile, Pfizer originally planned to apply for emergency FDA approval for a two-dose regimen but is now waiting for data on a three-dose regimen. Earlier Pfizer-BioNTech studies found two doses of the Pfizer vaccine provided significant COVID-19 protection with no safety issues, but data collected during the Omicron surge indicated inadequate protection against infection among children ages 2 to 4. Research from Pfizer’s three-shot study will be released soon.
Last fall, Moderna reported promising results from clinical trials with kids between 6 and 11. The company has submitted the data for FDA review, but approval is still pending, though it has been cleared for use for this age group in Canada, Australia, and Europe. In May 2021, Moderna announced that its vaccine was safe for children between 12 and 17. Though Moderna’s vaccine has been cleared for the age group in other countries, the FDA has yet to authorize it, citing risks of myocarditis, a rare heart inflammation.
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