FDA advisers recommend Moderna COVID vaccine for infants

Food and Drug Administration advisers on Wednesday voted to recommend that children as young as 6 months receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously agreed that the "benefits of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine … outweigh its risk for use in infants and children six months through 5 years of age."

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf still needs to give his final approval, and then the recommendation requires clearance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At that point, the vaccines for small children may be available as soon as next Tuesday, according to USA Today.

More than 200 children in this age group have had COVID listed as the cause of death on their death certificates since the start of the pandemic, according to the FDA. This accounts for about 2% of all deaths for young children.