COVID-19 vaccinations for kids may be approved as soon as the middle of November

COVID-19 vaccinations for kids are getting closer, the government’s infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on last week. He said the shots could begin by the middle of November and predicted a timetable that could see many kids getting fully vaccinated before the end of the year.

“If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it’s entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the couple of weeks of November,” Fauci said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week.”

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials are reviewing the Pfizer/BioNTech application seeking authorization of its two-dose vaccine for younger children. The FDA typically follows the advice of its panel of experts but is not required to do so.

Meanwhile, Moderna said that a low dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and appears to work in 6- to 11-year-olds, as the manufacturer moves toward expanding shots to children. Moderna hasn’t yet applied for approval of its child vaccine protocol. Researchers tested two shots for the 6- to 11-year-olds, given a month apart, that each contained half the dose given to adults. Preliminary results showed vaccinated kids developed virus-fighting antibodies similar to levels that young adults produce after full-strength shots, Moderna said in a press release.