FDA authorizes vaccines for children as young as 6 months

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Children as young as 6 months could get the COVID vaccine shot as soon as next week.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the emergency use of Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines for kids between 6 months and 5 years old.

However, shots can’t be given until the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hold a final vote. Advisors are expected to meet and make a decision Saturday, June 18. The White House has said vaccinations for young kids could start as soon as next week.

“There’s no ‘Operation Warp Speed’ for a vaccine that’s going to be given to a 6-month-old,” Dr. James Wayne said.

Dr. Wayne is the Associate Medical Director for Pediatrics for Ochsner Medical Center in Baton Rouge. He said parents have shared mixed feelings about vaccinating their young kids.

“We see both. We see parents that are anxious to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible, and others that are apprehensive,” Wayne said.

Wayne addressed the concern of possible side effects.

“Soreness at the injection site, sometimes a little bit of a low-grade fever, fussiness, but not anything or any more significant than the other vaccines children are getting,” Wayne said.

According to the CDC, more than 440 kids under the age of four have died from COVID since the pandemic started.

Dr. Wayne said this shot could potentially save millions.

“The vaccine is just one additional tool that we have to try to help prevent some of these unnecessary deaths,” Wayne said.

The shot for younger kids is much smaller than what’s given to the rest of the public.

Moderna’s shots are one-quarter of the adult dose, and Pfizer’s are just one-tenth.

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