Austin Public Health announced eligibility for both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccines has been expanded to include children under 5 years old June 21, days after federal public health agencies said young children may now begin receiving those shots.
“This vaccine expansion comes at a critical time when we’re dealing with new subvariants and high community transmission,” Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County Health Authority, said in a statement. “These vaccines will help to protect your children from severe COVID-19 symptoms and being hospitalized.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both cleared the use of the two COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old this month. The updated recommendations advise that a two-dose Moderna shot series may be administered to children from 6 months through 17 years old—the vaccine was previously cleared for people 18 years old and above. The three-dose Pfizer series, previously recommended for 5-year-olds and above, is now open to those from 6 months through 4 years old.
Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine is not currently authorized for the younger age group, and the CDC has said Moderna and Pfizer's mRNA vaccines are preferred for all ages.
