The 1st Covid-19 vaccination shot for newborns has been approved by the US FDA
Key Takeaways:
- US regulators approved the first Covid-19 dosages for babies and preschoolers on Friday, clearing the way for immunizations to begin next week.
- The clearance of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against Covid-19 for younger children by the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday was hailed as a "huge relief" by US President Joe Biden.
The first Covid-19 doses for newborns and preschoolers were approved by US regulators on Friday, paving the path for vaccines to begin next week.
The FDA took action after a unanimous recommendation from its advisory council for the shots from Moderna and Pfizer. This means that US children under the age of five — around 18 million children — are eligible for the vaccines, which were initially made accessible in the US for adults, who have been affected the hardest by the pandemic, about one and a half years ago.
The last step is for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make recommendations on how vaccines should be used. On Friday, its independent advisers began debating the two-dose Moderna and three-dose Pfizer vaccinations, with a decision expected on Saturday. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head, would provide the ultimate approval.
Walensky claimed her staff was working over the Juneteenth federal holiday weekend "because we appreciate the urgency of this for American parents" during a Senate hearing on Thursday.
She claims that the number of children who have died as a result of Covid-19 is larger than the number of children who die each year due to the flu.
"I truly believe that we need to protect small children, as well as everyone else with the vaccine, and especially the elderly," she stated. The FDA also approved Moderna's vaccination for school-aged children and teenagers. For those ages, Pfizer's shots were the sole option.
The Biden administration has been prepared to roll out vaccines for small children for weeks, with states, tribes, community health centers, and pharmacies placing pre-orders for millions of doses. Manufacturers can now begin transporting vaccines across the country thanks to the FDA's emergency use authorization. Vaccinations might start as soon as next week.
US President Joe Biden greeted the approval of Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations against Covid-19 for younger children on Friday as a "great relief."
In a statement, Biden said, "Today is a day of enormous relief for parents and families across America," adding that it will allow "our nation to continue to go forward safely."