Moderna Submits Request for FDA Authorization of Vaccine for Children Under 6

Vaccine company Moderna announced that it has submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for the approval of its vaccines for children aged 6 months to 6 years.

After the FDA reviews the application and data, it convenes an independent advisory board meeting to publicly discuss the safety and efficacy of the vaccine before voting. The FDA will then review the panel's consensus and decide whether to approve the vaccine.

Pfizer will present its data in the coming weeks. The company's CEO, Anthony Bourla, said in a recent interview that he expects the vaccine to be approved by the end of June. Many experts believe that the vaccine is powerful because the data consistently show higher immunity to a third or booster vaccination in adults.

Five-year-olds have had a vaccine since the fall, but younger children have weathered delta and omicron waves without them. Many children are too young to wear a mask and experts recommend it only for children over 2 years old.

Infants are reportedly more targeted by the virus due to a lack of vaccination. According to a national survey, about 75% of children and adolescents under the age of 17 were infected with COVID-19. This is the highest percentage of people infected with COVID-19 of any age group.