A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee on Saturday unanimously voted to recommend Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5, a major milestone for parents waiting to get shots for their young children.
Once CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signs off, which is expected shortly, vaccinations can begin this coming week for children 6 months and older.
The rollout of vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna for children under 5 comes months after some parents were eagerly awaiting the shots — and frustrated by delays.
“This infection kills children, and we have an opportunity to prevent that,” Beth Bell, a professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health and a member of the panel, said of recommending the vaccines.
Pfizer’s vaccine had at one point appeared to be moving forward for young children earlier this year but was delayed to gather more data regarding a third dose.
Pfizer’s vaccine is rolling out with a three-dose schedule, while Moderna’s is two doses.
Two doses of Moderna were 51 percent effective in children 6 months to 2 years old, and 37 percent in children ages 2 through 5.
However, those numbers are for preventing any infection at all; the numbers for preventing severe disease, seen as the key goal, are expected to be higher.
The Pfizer vaccine was 80 percent effective after three doses, but that finding was from a small number of cases, so the result could change.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which cleared the vaccines earlier this week, offered assurances that its review found them to be safe.
“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,” said FDA Commissioner Robert Califf.
While some eager parents can get their children vaccinated this coming week, the uptake for older children suggests that many parents will hesitate.
Only about 30 percent of children ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated, according to CDC figures.
The Biden administration said earlier this month in planning its rollout that it would work through pediatricians and other experts to answer parents’ questions.
“We are going to meet people where they are and answer their questions,” a senior administration official said. “And so, what we are trying to do is we are trying to ensure that those people in communities, including pediatricians, have the information that they need to answer parents’ questions.”
Updated: 1:42 p.m.
