Last week, Moderna became the first manufacturer to officially ask the Food and Drug Administration to approve its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 6 years old. One of three companies with authorized COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, Moderna made the request a month after saying its data showed efficacy for two doses given to kids. This comes a few months after the FDA delayed its review of a vaccine for young children from Pfizer, which has not yet requested authorization, until that company collects more data.
As with all things COVID-19, sentiments about vaccinating kids are strong and split. Millions of families with young children are counting the minutes until their infants and toddlers can get shots. Most, however, seem inclined to pass or wait — as of this January, just 31% of parents with kids under 5 in one survey said they would get their child the vaccination immediately after one was authorized.
Right now, vaccines for kids might feel unnecessary even to families initially eager for their arrival. As we’ve emerged from the omicron winter surge, and as we muddle through the yet-to-be-understood rise of the BA.2 subvariant that’s driving up cases but not hospitalizations or deaths, an estimated 3 in 4 U.S. kids have already had COVID-19. While we do not yet know exactly how prior infection affects immunity from future infection, nor the risk of long COVID, data indicate at least temporary protection, at least within a given surge.
