Photo: Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration's Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee has voted to recommend COVID vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer for use in young children.
The committee recommended a two-dose series of Moderna's vaccine given four weeks apart for children ages six months to five years. The committee also recommended a three-dose series of Pfizer's vaccine for children between the ages of six months and four years. The first two doses are given three weeks apart, followed by a booster dose two months later.
"The benefits seem to clearly outweigh the risks, particularly for those with young children who may be in kindergarten or in collective childcare," said committee member Oveta Fuller, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School.
The FDA is expected to follow the unanimous recommendation of the committee and grant an emergency use authorization for the vaccines in young children. An advisory committee for the Centers and Disease and Prevention is scheduled to meet over the weekend to discuss the vaccines. After they make their recommendation, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will make the final decision on whether to authorize the vaccines.
White House officials said they expect to begin vaccinations for young children by next Tuesday (June 21).