The US reports 300 daily deaths from covid, according to the CDC 3:24
(CNN) --
Children as young as six months are now eligible to receive the updated Covid-19 vaccine.
The US Food and Drug Administration authorized this Thursday that updated covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech for use in children from six months to five years.
Bivalent vaccines target both the parent strain and the omicron BA.4/5 strains.
Bivalent vaccines had previously been authorized as a booster for people from the age of five.
Epidemiologist advises you to get the following vaccines for the winter
“Now more children have the opportunity to refresh their protection against covid-19 with a bivalent vaccine, and we encourage parents and caregivers of those eligible to consider doing so, especially as we approach the holidays and the winter months. , where more time is spent indoors,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement.
Children six months through five years of age who received the original two-dose Moderna vaccine are eligible to receive a single booster of the updated Moderna bivalent vaccine two months after completing the primary vaccination series.
Children six months through four years of age who have not received their three-dose primary series of Pfizer vaccine or who have not received the third dose will receive the updated Pfizer vaccine as if it were the third dose of the primary series.
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Children six months through four years of age who have completed the three-dose primary series of the original Pfizer vaccine are not eligible for an updated booster dose at this time.
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“Children in that age group who have already completed their primary series are expected to have protection against the currently circulating omicron variant.
Data to support the administration of an updated bivalent booster dose for these children is expected in January.
The agency is committed to evaluating that data as quickly as possible," the FDA said in its announcement.
The announcement comes as the United States is experiencing high levels of respiratory viruses, including influenza and the RSV virus, and an increase in hospitalizations for covid-19.
Also, many are expected to gather indoors for the holidays, which could make the picture worse.
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