Next week, two federal vaccine advisory committees will consider emergency approval and recommendations for two mRNA COVID vaccines for kids under 5, and today White House officials detailed the rollout plans that include an initial distribution of 10 million doses.Initial 10 million doses poised to shipOn Jun 14 and 15, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will first consider emergency use for the Moderna vaccine when used as a primary series for children ages 6 through 17 years old.
Then they will discuss amending emergency use authorizations for both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for the primary series for children as young as 6 months old.Pending recommended approval by VRBPAC and a green light from the FDA, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will meet on Jun 17 and 18 to discuss whether to recommend the vaccines in the age groups.At a White House COVID-19 briefing today, Ashish Jha, MD, the committee's coordinator, said the Biden administration is eagerly awaiting a careful review by the groups, but is well into the planning.
Once the vaccines are cleared for the youngest kids, the nation will reach a key milestone by extending protection with vaccines to almost every American. "We also know it is important to do this right," Jha said.Dawn O'Connell, JD, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the vaccine for young kids can be shipped after FDA authorization, but doses can't be given until the CDC makes its recommendations.