Pfizer seeks vaccine authorization for kids under 5

Pfizer-BioNTech on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize its two-shot COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years. The emergency use authorization is expected to receive approval by the end of February. The FDA authorized vaccines for kids ages 5 to 12 in November.

How will it work? Young children would receive the vaccine at one-tenth the strength of the adult shot. In 2021, Pfizer announced the two-dose shot proved to be less effective at preventing COVID-19 in kids ages 2 to 5. That was partly due to the more contagious omicron strain. Regulators urged the company to add a third dose to the study. Pfizer is still awaiting data on the three-dose vaccine and said it would apply for authorization in the coming months.

Dig deeper: Read Daniel James Devine’s report in Beginnings about how the omicron variant affected hospitals.