FDA Approves COVID-19 Shot For Kids Under 5: What It Means In MN

MINNEAPOLIS — The thousands of Minnesotan families who have been anxiously waiting for over a year to have their little ones vaccinated against COVID-19 can soon breathe a sigh of relief.

The Food and Drug Administration's outside vaccine advisers on Wednesday voted to approve the Moderna vaccine for use in children under five.

The panel voted unanimously in favor of approval, the Associated Press reported, arguing that the protection the Moderna shots provide far outweighed any potential health risks for youngsters. The same panel is set to make a decision on Pfizer's three-dose pediatric series shortly.

The Moderna series is considered effective for children ages 6 months to 5 years, while Pfizer is seeking approval for children ages 6 months to 4 years.

However, the move doesn't mean Minnesota infants and toddlers can get their vaccine doses just yet. The FDA still needs to grant emergency use authorization, which it is expected to do before week's end.

A Centers for Disease Control Prevention advisory panel will also vote Friday and Saturday on whether to endorse the shots, NBC News reported.

Approving the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 makes an estimated 18 million American toddlers eligible for vaccination.

While young children are usually at lower risk for serious COVID-related health complications than older adults, they can act as transmission vectors, can still get severely ill, and in rare cases, even die.

A total of 442 children under the age of 4 have died due to COVID-19, the FDA said.

In Minnesota, there have been over 64,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in children 4 or younger, including one death.