The proposal passed with 12 votes in favor and 0 against from the CDC and gives the “green light” to the administration of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for coronavirus in children under 5 years of age.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee voted unanimously today to approve Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for infants, paving the way for their availability, possibly as early as next week.
The proposal, which passed with 12 votes in favor and 0 against, will have to be approved by its director CDC Rochelle Walesky to get US vaccines available to older children under 5 years.
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Moderna vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years of age and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years of age.
The Pfizer vaccine had already been approved for children 5 years of age and older.
“This disease kills children and we have a chance to prevent it,” said Beth Bell, one of the committee’s doctors, after the vote.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden announced that vaccines for young children would be sent soon.in places that parents know and trust“Such as in pediatricians’ offices, pediatric hospitals and pharmacies. Parents will be able to schedule the vaccination of their young children, most likely from next week.
Although many parents in the US want to vaccinate their children, it is not clear how much demand there will be. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for children aged 5-11 last October but to date only 29% of children in this age group have been vaccinated.
