Pfizer and Moderna seek approval for updated boosters for younger children

Younger children could soon be entitled to an updated Covid-19 booster shot.

Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday that they have completed their filing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of their updated Covid-19 booster for children ages 5 to 11. modern on Friday said it has sought FDA approval for its updated booster for youth ages 12 to 17 and children ages 6 to 11.

Like the boosters that became available to the elderly earlier this month, these bivalent boosters target the original strain of coronavirus as well as the subvariants Omicron BA.4/BA.5.

Pfizer’s updated booster is currently approved for use in individuals 12 years and older, and Moderna’s is approved for adults 18 and older.

Pfizer said Monday it has initiated a phase 1/2/3 study of the vaccine’s safety, tolerability and immunogenicity in people aged 6 months to 11 years.

Moderna tweeted that its regulatory filing for an updated booster vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years is expected later this year.

Currently, people who are too young to get an updated booster shot can still be boosted with previous versions of the Covid-19 vaccines.

Millions of updated boosters administered

Data released Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows about 4.4 million people have received a dose of the updated Covid-19 boosters.

Totals do not reflect doses administered in Idaho and Texas because those states report immunizations. The agency says it is working to integrate this information.

Currently, individuals 12 years and older who have received their primary vaccination series are eligible to receive the updated boosters replacing the original boosters in those age groups. People who have recently had Covid-19 should wait at least three months as the infection itself can act as a boost.

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