FDA to allow bivalent COVID boosters for some infants and young children

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized the bivalent COVID-19 boosters made by Moderna Inc.
MRNA,
+2.25%
and BioNTech SE
BNTX,
+3.52%
/Pfizer Inc.
PFE,
+1.16%
for children as young as 6 months old. The regulator said children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years old who first received Moderna’s two-dose vaccine can now get Moderna’s updated booster shot. The authorization for BioNTech and Pfizer’s vaccine is slightly different. Children who are 6 months through 4 years can now get the companies’ bivalent booster as the third dose in the primary series of BioNTech and Pfizer’s shots; however, kids in this age group who were immunized with all three shots of the original BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine are not yet eligible for a booster. The updated boosters are designed to better protect against omicron and its subvariants.