NEW YORK (AP) – A panel of experts backed a second COVID-19 vaccine option for children ages 6-17 on Thursday.
Advisors from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted unanimously to recommend Moderna injections as an option for school-age children and teens. This group has been able to get shots made by Pfizer since last year.
The panel’s recommendations are often adopted by the CDC and become the government’s guide for U.S. physicians and their patients.
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the injections: full strength doses for children ages 12 to 17 and medium concentration for those ages 6 to 11. Doses should be administered one month apart.
The FDA also authorized a third dose for children with a significantly weakened immune system, which would be administered approximately one month after the second dose of the primary series. The CDC is expected to recommend the same.
Moderna officials have said they hope to offer reinforcement later to all children between the ages of 6 and 17.
It is unclear what demand there will be for the shootings. Adolescents were eligible a year ago for the Pfizer vaccine, which uses the same technology, and only 60% have received two doses. Shooting for the little ones began in November; about 29% have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
More than 600 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in children between the ages of 5 and 17 in the United States. Health officials have also expressed concern about the increased risk of lasting health problems in children after infection, such as diabetes or problems with smell or taste.
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The Associated Press Department of Health and Science is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press