FDA authorizes first COVID-19 vaccines for infants, preschoolers

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers, according to multiple news reports.

Final approval was expected after the agency's advisory panel in recent days gave preliminary approval for shots from Moderna and Pfizer.

As a result of the final approval, children in the U.S younger than 5 are eligible for the shots, according to the Associated Press. The young-child vaccine is approved about 1 1/2 years after the vaccines first became available for adults in the country.

The FDA also authorized Moderna’s vaccine for school-aged children and teens. Pfizer’s shots had previously been the only ones available for them.

The final step is for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend how to use the vaccines, with a vote expected as early as Saturday, then an OK from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Associated Press also reports.