Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccines for children and teens won support from a key panel of U.S. health advisers, a crucial step toward providing yet another tool for protecting young people from the most serious effects of the virus.
A 15-member Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel supported the shots for children 6 to 11 years old and teens 12 to 17 years old in two unanimous votes. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will need to sign off on the recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to make the advice official.
Until last week, when U.S. regulators cleared the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 shot for children and adolescents, only Pfizer’s vaccine was available for the age group. COVID-19 vaccines for infants and toddlers were also cleared, receiving a strong recommendation from CDC advisors over the weekend. Kids under 5 were the last age group to become eligible for inoculation.
