Are COVID-19 Vaccinations Authorized for Children?

The U.S. CDC issued an advisory on December 30, 2020, clarifying which experimental COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for people under the age of 18. The CDC said adolescents aged 16–17 years are included among persons eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine called Comirnaty.

'While vaccine safety and efficacy data in this age group are limited, there are no biologically plausible reasons for safety and efficacy profiles to be different than those observed in persons 18 years of age and older,' said the CDC.

Adolescents aged 16–17 years who are part of a group recommended receiving a COVID-19 vaccine may be vaccinated with the Comiranty vaccine with appropriate assent. However, those younger than 16 years of age are not authorized to receive this COVID-19 vaccine, at this time.

The CDC stated 'children and adolescents younger than 18 years of age are not authorized to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at this time.'