Washington, Europe Brief News – The US declared to start rolling out COVID vaccines for youngest children next week.
Children as young as six months will be vaccinated next week after CDC clears Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s shots for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
The CDC’s decision on Saturday came after a panel of advisers to the institution voted to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for those children.
“We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can,” Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said in a statement.
The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized Moderna Inc’s shot for children aged six months to five years, and Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for children aged six months to four years. Pfizer’s vaccine is already authorised for children over the age of five.
“This infection kills children and we have an opportunity to prevent that,” Beth Bell, one of the doctors on the advisory panel, said following the vote. “Here is an opportunity to prevent a known risk.”
US President Joe Biden hailed the decision as a “monumental step” and said his administration plans to roll out the vaccines to the under-five age groups as early as next week.
