CDC endorses Moderna’s COVID vaccine for children and teens ages 6 through 17

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine Friday for use in kindergartners through high school students.

It joins Pfizer’s shot, which was approved for similar age groups last year.

“Today, we have expanded the options available to families by recommending a second safe and effective vaccine for children ages 6 through 17 years,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

“Vaccinating this age group can provide greater confidence to families that their children and adolescents participating in childcare, school, and other activities will have less risk for serious COVID-19 illness.”

A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (Jenny Kane/)

Walensky’s recommendation calls for the use of two doses of Moderna’s 50-microgram shot for children from 6 to 11 years old and two doses of its 100-microgram shot for those 12 to 17 years of age — the same dosage adults currently receive.

It comes a day after the CDC’s panel of vaccine experts voted unanimously to endorse Moderna’s two-dose treatment for use in school-age kids and adolescents.

Moderna’s shots for children and older kids likely won’t have a stark impact on vaccinations in the United States other than providing parents an alternative to Pfizer’s shot.

The Pfizer vaccine, which was made available to those 16 and older since late 2020, was then offered to adolescents ages 12 to 15 in May of 2021, before being approved for use in kids ages 5 to 11 last fall.

Authorization of Moderna’s shot for those aged 6 to 17 faced delays sparked by concerns about heart complications that have been seen in a relatively small number of recipients, particularly among young men.

With News Wire Services