COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 could be ready as early as next week, doctors say
As healthcare professionals and families across the country await the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, doctors are preparing to facilitate the distribution of the vaccine as soon as it becomes available, UPMC pediatrician Dr. Pamela Schoemer said.
“This is just such an excitement for all of us,” said Schoemer, who is director of quality, safety and outcomes at UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics, and works as a pediatrician at Children’s Community Pediatrics Shenango in New Castle. “We really want to get this younger population protected.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have unanimously been approved for emergency use through an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration and have been recommended for use with children over 6 months old by the FDA.
The vaccines are now awaiting approval by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which could come as early as Saturday, June 18. Its independent advisers began discussing the vaccines Friday and a recommendation is anticipated Saturday.
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