Babies and Toddlers May Be Able to Get Vaccinated Soon

If approved, younger kids could get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by the end of February.

Get ready for some tears — babies, toddlers and pre-K kids may be next up for COVID-19 vaccines.

Many parents, however, will be jumping for joy. The Federal Drug Administration announced this week it’s reviewing Pfizer’s request for emergency use approval of its vaccine for children from 6 months to 5 years.

This group of younger children has so far not been able to get protection against the virus through vaccines.

The move comes as an increasing number of seriously ill young children are being hospitalized, part of the spike of cases from the Omicron variant.

The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee plans to review Pfizer’s safety and efficiency data on Feb. 15, before making a decision. If approval is granted, the vaccines could be available for younger kids by the end of the month.

Right now, 60% of all North Carolinians have gotten either two Pfizer and Moderna shots, or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Pfizer is one of the three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the United States. No serious, widespread side effects have been reported among the millions of vaccines administered.

Getting vaccinated greatly reduces the chances of someone needing to be hospitalized or dying from COVID.