US authorises 1st COVID-19 shots for infants, preschoolers

International

oi-Deepika S

Washington,
Jun
17:
US
regulators
on
Friday
authorised
emergency
use
of
the
Moderna
COVID-19
Vaccine
and
the
Pfizer-BioNTech
COVID-19
Vaccine
for
the
prevention
of
COVID-19
to
include
use
in
children
down
to
6
months
of
age.

For
the
Moderna
COVID-19
Vaccine,
the
FDA
amended
the
emergency
use
authorization
(EUA)
to
include
use
of
the
vaccine
in
individuals
6
months
through
17
years
of
age.
The
vaccine
had
been
authorized
for
use
in
adults
18
years
of
age
and
older.

For
the
Pfizer-BioNTech
COVID-19
Vaccine,
the
FDA
amended
the
EUA
to
include
use
of
the
vaccine
in
individuals
6
months
through
4
years
of
age.
The
vaccine
had
been
authorized
for
use
in
individuals
5
years
of
age
and
older.

“Many
parents,
caregivers
and
clinicians
have
been
waiting
for
a
vaccine
for
younger
children
and
this
action
will
help
protect
those
down
to
6
months
of
age.
As
we
have
seen
with
older
age
groups,
we
expect
that
the
vaccines
for
younger
children
will
provide
protection
from
the
most
severe
outcomes
of
COVID-19,
such
as
hospitalization
and
death,”
said
FDA
Commissioner
Robert
M.
Califf,
M.D.

“Those
trusted
with
the
care
of
children
can
have
confidence
in
the
safety
and
effectiveness
of
these
COVID-19
vaccines
and
can
be
assured
that
the
agency
was
thorough
in
its
evaluation
of
the
data,”
he
added.

The
Moderna
COVID-19
Vaccine
is
administered
as
a
primary
series
of
two
doses,
one
month
apart,
to
individuals
6
months
through
17
years
of
age.
The
vaccine
is
also
authorized
to
provide
a
third
primary
series
dose
at
least
one
month
following
the
second
dose
for
individuals
in
this
age
group
who
have
been
determined
to
have
certain
kinds
of
immunocompromise.

The
Pfizer-BioNTech
COVID-19
Vaccine
is
administered
as
a
primary
series
of
three
doses
in
which
the
initial
two
doses
are
administered
three
weeks
apart
followed
by
a
third
dose
administered
at
least
eight
weeks
after
the
second
dose
in
individuals
6
months
through
4
years
of
age.