Covid-19 vaccination shots for the youngest Americans could begin as soon as June 21, the White House said on Thursday. The vaccination program for children younger than 5 would come more than 18 months after vaccines were first authorized for adults.
Dr. Ashish Jha, White House coronavirus response coordinator, laid out a timeline for authorization of vaccines for children younger than 5 at an afternoon news briefing.
The US Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisers will review data submitted by Pfizer and Moderna during a meeting on June 14-15, and the agency will then decide whether to authorize the vaccines for emergency use. “We expect an FDA decision shortly after the advisory committee meeting, and we look forward to this process playing out,” Jha said.