COVID Vaccines For Under-Fives Could Be Available In Next Few Weeks, White House Says

Adults have been able to utilize vaccination, including booster shots, to protect themselves from COVID-19, and from the devastating long-term effects of long COVID, since December of 2020. The shots were first rolled out to those most vulnerable, older patients and those with compromised immune systems. Since then, the vaccine has gradually become more available, first to all adults, then to older kids, and finally to children over five.

Now the youngest age demographic could soon gain access to the live-saving preventative measure, according to the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha. He says that the application for approval has been completed for Moderna vaccines for kids aged five and under, and that the FDA is examining the findings.

White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha tells @MarthaRaddatz that decision about FDA authorization for vaccines for children 5 and under could be coming “in the next few weeks.” https://t.co/Yfe2H3NHw9 pic.twitter.com/HZeGdtCZPc

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 22, 2022

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“My expectation,” Dr. Jha says, “Is that as soon as that analysis [of Moderna vaccine data] is done, probably within the next few weeks, we’re going to get that expert outside committee, VRBPAC [Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee], and then after that, the FDA is going to make a decision. My hope is that it’s going to be coming in the next few weeks.”

Parents across the nation are waiting to be able to protect their youngest children, especially the medically vulnerable, from COVID-19. According to KFF, about 18% of parents of children under age five say that they plan to vaccinate their kids against the virus when the FDA approves it. Another 38% remain open to vaccination but are waiting for more information before making a decision.