“We are the first country to protect our youngest children with COVID-19 vaccines,” President Joe Biden said in a statement, emphasizing the effectiveness and safety of the inoculations.
In the United States, the Pfizer vaccine has been licensed for use in people aged 5 and above, while the Moderna vaccine has been approved for use in adults aged 18 and up.
The recent Food and Drug Administration approval allows for COVID-19 vaccinations for children under the age of five.
“As we have seen with older age groups, we expect that the vaccines for younger children will provide protection from the most severe outcomes of COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a press release.
Individuals aged 6 months to 4 years will get the Pfizer vaccine in a three-dose primary series. Individuals aged 6 months to 17 years will receive two doses of the Moderna type.
Parents will be able to schedule vaccines for their children as early as next week, pending recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to CDC data, about 67 percent of the whole U.S. population has been completely vaccinated.
