US FDA authorises COVID-19 vaccines for children down to 6 months of age

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 to include use in children down to 6 months of age. For the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA amended the emergency use authorisation (EUA) to include use of the vaccine in individuals 6 months through 17 years of age. The vaccine had been authorised for use in adults 18 years of age and older. For the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA amended the EUA to include use of the vaccine in individuals 6 months through 4 years of age. The vaccine had been authorised for use in individuals 5 years of age and older.