FDA yesterday amended the emergency use authorizations of the updated (bivalent) Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to include use in children as young as 6 months of age. Children 6 months through 5 years of age who received the original (monovalent) Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are now eligible to receive a single booster of the updated (bivalent) Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine 2 months after completing a primary series with the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. Children 6 months through 4 years of age who have not yet begun their 3-dose primary series of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or have not yet received the third dose of their primary series will now receive the updated (bivalent) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as the third dose in their primary series following 2 doses of the original (monovalent) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. Those who have completed their 3-dose primary series with the original (monovalent) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine will not be eligible for a booster dose of an updated bivalent vaccine at this time. Children in this age group who already completed their primary series would still be expected to have protection against the most serious outcomes from the currently circulating omicron variant. The data to support giving an updated bivalent booster dose for these children are expected in January, and FDA said it will evaluate those data as quickly as possible.
