Coronavirus Watch: FDA likely to recommend COVID vaccines for young children
A panel of FDA advisors are meeting this week and are likely to recommend two COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest children, as well as a second option for older kids who so far have only had access to the Pfizer-BioNTech shots.
The vaccines under review are Moderna's for ages 6 months to 17 years and Pfizer-BioNTech's for children ages 6 months to 5 years.
If the vaccines are authorized this week, they would become available as soon as June 21, the Biden administration has said.
Read the full story from reporter Karen Weintraub here.
It's Monday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:
- A WHO expert group investigating the origins of the pandemic said Thursday that “key pieces of data” are still missing to explain how the pandemic began.
- The mounting costs of COVID testing: A study published last week highlights how taxpayers are footing the bill for "free" COVID testing. Read about it here.
- Meanwhile, the White House said it will divert $10 billion from COVID-19 testing and other programs, an act that experts say could make tests more expensive and harder to access.
Engineering the Future: With a significant funding infusion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will play a vital role in building a more resilient post-COVID America. Read a Q&A with Chief of Engineers Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon here.
See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 78% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 67% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
– Cady Stanton, Paste BN Nation NOW reporter, @cady_stanton