02/01/2022

First COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Under 5 Could be Ready by February

Older children already can receive the shot

Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines for children younger than 5 could be available far sooner than expected — perhaps by the end of February — under a plan that would lead to the potential authorization of a two-shot regimen in the coming weeks, people briefed on the situation said Monday.

Pfizer and BioNTech, its partner, the manufacturers of the vaccine, are expected to submit to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as early as Tuesday a request for emergency-use authorization for the vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old, which would make it the first vaccine available for that age group. Older children already can receive the shot.

The FDA urged the companies to submit the application so that regulators could begin reviewing the two-shot data, according to the knowledgeable individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.